The Legend of the Lotus Blade
by Frederick Aloysius
Summary: This is the tale of the founder of Yamanuchi, the woman he loved, and how their spirits live on in the current day in the form of two inseperable friends who have cared for each other for longer than they know.
1. Chapter One: The Mysterious Girl

_October, 2006_

"Come to the Middleton Fall Fair, this Saturday!"

It was the battle cry of an overly perky teenaged volunteer, announcing to anyone who passed her by on the sidewalk of Main Street in downtown Middleton that it was time once again for one of the town's annual traditions. The fair was everything that one imagined it would be, from the hayrides to the carnival games to the petting zoo. This time of year, there was a buzz of excited anticipation in the air as everyone in the entire tri-city area was gearing up for what was sure to be a great time.

Everyone, that is, except for one forlorn individual who found herself walking aimlessly around the streets of her hometown. As she passed by the human advertisement, the perky blonde shoved a flyer for the fair into her hand. "Make sure you come to the fair this Saturday!" she all but screamed at the redhead. "It going to be a blast!"

The redhead stopped for a moment, pausing just long enough to take a quick look at the bright, multi-colored paper in her hand before a multitude of memories rushed to the surface of her mind, assaulting her already delicate emotional state. She was reminded once again of happier times when her life had been good and all was right with the world. Moments like this had happened to her a lot over the course of the last two weeks since it had happened. This time, she was taken back to last year's fair, enjoying the hayride with someone whose hair was the same color as the straw they sat on, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and laughing at something he said. It was enough to bring a small, nostalgic smile to her lips before she remembered once again that there would never again be a time like that in her life. 

The teen heroine slowly looked up from the flyer to the other girl who had lost some of her perkiness at the sight before her. As her eyes met the volunteer's, the blonde girl recognized the other woman as none other than Kim Possible, world famous heroine. She was just about to introduce herself (it wasn't everyday that she met a celebrity like Kim) when a voice inside her held her back. There was something about the cheerleader that didn't sit right given all that she had heard about the redhead. She was dressed, not in her standard green top and blue capris, but in long jeans and a light grey hooded sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail and it look as though it was losing some of the luster that she had seen on television. Her expression was one of fatality, as if she had accepted some harsh truth in her life and was now preparing for the consequences of that truth. But what struck her most were Kim's eyes. The blonde girl had always imagined that her green eyes would be full of life and determination, but now that she was looking at the redhead in real life, all she saw in them was a profound sadness and loss.

After the briefest of moments had past, Kim almost whispered to the other girl, "Thank you, but I think I'll be skipping the fair this year." She looked down once more at the flyer before she let a small sigh escape from her. Without looking back up at the blonde girl, she handed the flyer back to her. Sensing that Kim was in a depressed state, the perky blonde was about to say that she should come to the fair anyway, that it might cheer her up. But just before she was able to say anything, Kim looked up once again and a single tear dropped onto her cheek. The other girl, so taken aback by the show of emotion from the heroine in front of her, simply stared back with an open mouth. Kim once again became lost in her thoughts and took this opportunity to take her leave of the volunteer.

She had been walking for over an hour, seeing nothing and hearing nothing except for those images provided to her by her memory. Every one of them was a variation on a theme, one of her and her best friend at their happiest. Her subconscious showed her the two of them at the Bueno Nacho opening, only to replace it with Ron as the Middleton Mad Dog, only to replace that with the sight of Ron and her at their high school graduation. This last one reminded her that the three weeks that the dean at Colorado State University had given her off were almost up and she would be heading back to campus soon. Only this time, she was headed back alone.

The thought of having to return to her life at college, to go back to her classes by herself, to hit Bueno Nacho after a tough day by herself, to face the evil of the world by herself brought up a wave of emotion that threaten to have her break down in sobs once again. She sat down on a bench outside of the post office and willed herself not to remember how she had landed in this sitch in the first place. But in her current state, she simply did not have the mental strength to force the memory from her mind, the memory that had haunted her for the last two weeks and would surely haunt her for the rest of her life. The last memory she would ever have of Ron Stoppable.

_Two Weeks Ago_

"Remind me again just what we're doing here, KP?" Ron Stoppable asked his partner.

"There was a report of a suspicious green glow coming from the office of the plant supervisor, so just to be on the safe side, they asked us to check it out," Kim replied. 

About an hour ago, the familiar four tones of the Kimmunicator informed them that Wade had another mission for Team Possible. Apparently, one of the guards at the Middleton nuclear power plant had spotted what he described as a 'green light' coming from one of the restricted offices. Since this meager description fit only one known super villain, the call went out to get Kim and Ron on the case.

"Ya know, it could have just been some plutonium that was accidentally put in the office," Ron volunteered, hoping they wouldn't have to go up against Shego this time.

His partner turned to him with a look of absolute incredulity. "Umm, Ron... I would much rather it be Shego that we find rather than some exposed radioactive material. Do you want to glow in the dark for the rest of your life?"

She smiled slightly as the gears in Ron's head slowly ground away, finally turning on the light bulb, as Ron understood just what it was that he was hoping for. "Good call. Although using Rufus as a night light would be convenient," he smiled at his little friend who was poking up from his pocket. 

"Hey!" the naked mole rat replied as he blew a raspberry at his owner.

Kim's smile grew at the thought of a green naked mole rat, but she quickly dropped back into mission mode when her ears picked up voices from up ahead. She pressed a finger to her lips to indicate to Ron to be quiet and proceeded down the hallway that they were in.

The corridor ended at the main control room for the entire power plant. A quick glance through the window in the double doors that led to the interior of the room showed that it was indeed Draken and Shego behind this plot. The green and black girl had subdued the entire staff along with the guards, who were tied up in the corner looking frightened out of their minds.

Ron, who had been looking over Kim's shoulder, taped her and pointed away from Shego and over towards Draken who seemed to be fiddling with the controls to the power grid. Kim saw that Shego had a rather bored expression on and guessed that Draken was just starting his traditional rant. The redhead reached out, grabbed the handle to the control room door, twisted it, and cracked it open.

Instantly, both members of Team Possible were greeted with the shrill voice of Draken. "This is my greatest plan yet, Shego!" The mad scientist gave a look over at his 'sidekick' who was about to say something but he cut her off. "And before you say something sarcastic like, 'Yeah, cuz the bar was set so high,' save it. This time it's going to work."

Shego was completely nonplused. "Sure, whatever, Doctor D."

At that, Draken began to develop a nervous twitch under his left eye and started to stammer, he was so full of rage. "Why...how...just...look, it's going to work this time, alright?!" he shouted at Shego.

"And just what exactly is it that we are doing here?"

"Its simple, Shego. I'm going to threaten to create a meltdown of this power plant unless I am made King of Canada!"

Shego had to stifle a laugh at her blue skinned boss. "Still on your Canada kick, huh? Pretty lame."

"I'd have to agree. But it doesn't matter anyway, Draken, because we're going to stop you." Kim had figured that this was an opportune time to make her entrance and get underway with defeating Draken once again.

"Kim Possible! What are you doing here?" the Doctor asked his arch-foe.

"Simple. One of the guards caught sight of your helper over there and called us," Kim replied as she pointed at Shego.

"Shego!"

For the first time since she had lost his body in the mix-up with the neutronalizer, the villainess actually looked apologetic. "Ah, sorry about that, Dr. D." Then she turned to face Kim and Ron. "But let me fix my mistake right now," she growled as she brought forth the green plasma that was her special gift. She leapt straight at Kim and began throwing a flurry of punches and kick that kept the teen heroine engaged. Thus, she was unable to see that Draken had begun to enter the final commands to begin the nuclear meltdown. Ron, however, had little to do once Kim started fighting Shego, so he ran over to stop Draken. 

And he couldn't have gotten there a moment too soon. Just as Draken was about to push the final button that would engage the overload, Ron grabbed him from behind and threw him away from the console that he was working at. The blue skinned madman landed some ten feet away from the teen and crashed into a stack of crates. 

"Well, that was easy," Ron commented to his pet that was currently sitting on Ron's shoulder. He then turned to look at the almost two story tall wall of dials and gauges and started thinking out loud. "Now, how do you suppose we shut this thing down?"

Unfortunately, Ron had turned his back to Draken having mistakenly thought that the mad genius was out for the count. The teen hero learned otherwise very quickly as he was shoved violently from behind as Draken lowered his shoulder in Ron's lower back. This sent the blonde careening into the very control panel that Draken had been working at before Team Possible had broken up his little party and, at one of the worst possible moments in his life, his 'Ron-ness' kicked in and he landed on the button that started the meltdown.

Instantly, an alarm began blaring out of the Public Address system in the plant, and a prerecorded voice sounded, ordering the evacuation of the building. Ron got up off the instrument panel and looked over towards Draken, who was jumping up and down in jubilee. 

"Draken, how the hell do you stop this thing?" Ron demanded.

The blue skinned scientist looked back at Ron with a crazed expression. "That's the beauty of it! You can't!"

As Draken was making his fatal pronouncement, Ron felt like all the blood was drained from his body only to be replaced with ice water. He ran over to where Draken, who obviously didn't realize the danger that he himself was in, was still dancing and grabbed him by the lapels of his blue lab coat. "You maniac! Don't you realize that if we can't stop the meltdown, everyone in Western Colorado will be dead?! Including you!"

That got Draken's attention. He stopped dancing suddenly, his joy turning to confusion that turned to pure terror when he finally put two and two together. He began to panic, screaming like a little girl and flailing about like a fish out of water. Mercifully, Ron put him out of his misery with a swift hit to the man's jaw.

During this entire time, Kim had been fully engaged in keeping Shego at bay. She had heard the alarm go off, but didn't have time to wonder about it as she dodged another strike from the villainess. But when Ron started to frantically call out her name, she knew that something was wrong. And she didn't want to think about what could go wrong in a nuclear power plant. 

Unfortunately, she couldn't help Ron at that moment as Shego was putting up quite the offensive. So, in between blows from the other woman, she grabbed her Kimmunicator out of her cargos and tossed it in the direction of Ron's voice. "Sorry, Ron, I'm a little busy here! Call Wade, he'll help you out."

The blonde caught the small communications device and quickly hit the button to establish the link. The ten-year-old genius quickly answered but was surprised when he saw that it was Ron on the other end of the line. "Ron, what's going on?"

The blonde wasted no time. "Wade, Draken's started an overload here and I need to know how to shut it down now!"

Wade began to pound away at the keyboard in an attempt to find a way to undo whatever it was that Draken had done to the complex machinery. After a few seconds, he had located the answer to the problem, the only answer to the problem. But that didn't mean he liked it. 

He turned to look at his friend at the other end of the Kimmunicator and lowered the bad news. "Ron, there is only one way to stop the overload at this point. You have to trip the main circuit breakers to the plant. That will kill the power to the entire facility and the backup emergency systems will come online. They will drop al the control rods into the core and stop the meltdown."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief at hearing that he could stop the meltdown. "That sounds easy Wade. Where's the breaker box located?"

"Ron, there's something else you need to know," Wade began with a look of sadness and anxiety. "The circuits are channeling almost twice the normal amount of electricity as the normally do. Anyone who touches the circuit breakers, like someone who is trying to trip them, will be electrocuted."

It took him a second to process what he had heard, but when he did Ron went deathly pale. His mind began to refuse to believe what he knew was the truth of the situation. In a last ditch effort, he turned to Wade and ask a question that he already knew the answer to but he had to ask it anyway. "Wade, what if we just evacuated the place? Get everyone far enough away from the blast?"

Wade just shook his head. "You would need to evacuate all of Western Colorado to Nevada in the next five minutes. Not possible, even for Kim," he told Ron, with a small smile at his little joke.

Ron knew what he had to do. It couldn't be Kim, she was too important in saving the world. Shego would never help them and Draken was out of it. That only left him to perform the last task he would ever do. The one that would save about a million people. The one that would save all his friends and family. And, most importantly, the one that would save Kim.

His mind made up, he reached into his pocket and took out Rufus and told him to go to Kim. He saw Rufus run over to where the redhead was still fighting Shego, wishing he had more time, and turned to head in the direction that Wade had told him. 

By this time, Kim had gained the upper hand and finally had cornered Shego so that she had nowhere to go. It was then that they both realized what the automated voice was telling them and both looked at each other with pure panic. They both forgot their fight and ran to grab their partner in an attempt to make their getaway. But when Kim turned away from Shego, all she could see was an empty control room with a rather excited naked mole rat trying to get her attention. 

She bent down to get closer to Ron's pet. "Rufus, have you seen where Ron went?" The naked mole rat began to jump up and down and pointed towards the hallway that Ron had disappeared down. She picked him up, put him in one of her pockets, and took off down after him.

It only took her a minute to find where he went. The surrealistic blue glow that the breaker room had from all the extra electricity running through it instantly drew her attention. She burst through the door and found Ron, standing near what looked like a large circuit connector, holding the Kimmunicator. He looked like someone had just passed a death sentence on him, he looked so pale and frightened. He hit the button to turn off the Kimunicator, placed it on the ground, and reached for the connector. 

"Ron! What are you doing?!" his redheaded best friend called out to him over the loud whine of the machinery. She could tell that there was enough voltage flowing through the metal connector that if he were to touch it, he would instantly be killed. 

The blonde quickly turned to where that familiar voice had come from. This would have been easier if she wasn't here, but fate, it seemed, was not on his side that night. He looked at her, a million and one things that he would have liked to have told her but time had seemed to have run out on him. So, he settled for telling her what he was about to do.

"Kim, the plant is about to go critical. Wade says that if we don't throw this switch, everyone within five hundred miles is going to get killed. Including you and me."

But Kim wasn't about to let him go that easily. "There has to be another way, Ron! Maybe Wade can short it out remotely, or, or..."

Ron just gave her a sad little smile. "Kim, don't you think I already asked him that?" he asked gently. "This is the only way. And before you go getting any ideas, you're not going to do it. You're too valuable to lose whereas I on the other hand..." he shrugged.

Kim was on the verge of absolutely breaking down. This was just supposed to be another mission where they defeated the bad guys and went home safe at the end of the night. But now, things weren't looking so good for a certain member of Team Possible. "Ron, please don't do this..." she began to plead with him.

"Sorry, Kim, you know its the only way. I'm sorry. Take care of Rufus for me, will you?" He turned back to the circuit breaker and brought his fist up just over top of it. He knew that he was going to have to hit it as hard as he could to knock it down and break the connection. He glanced back at her once more, wishing that he could be there for her in what he imagined was going to be a very tough time. And he decided that there was one more thing that he needed to say before he went. 

"Love ya, KP. I always have and I always will. Remember that." And with that, he brought his fist down.

_Present Day_

Kim gasped as she sat bolt upright on the bench that she had been sitting on. She looked around, realizing that it was later in the day and that she must have dozed off. The temperature had dropped about another ten degrees since her last conscious thought, and she crossed her arms around her, almost like she was hugging herself. The loss of the most important person in her life once again hit her and she felt like crying again. But that wasn't going to help matters, and besides, it wasn't something she was used to doing. 

She sat there for a little while longer, watching all the happy people go by, with thoughts of Halloween, or football games, or the Fall Fair on their minds. When she finally saw a couple who looked to be about her age go by, holding hands and laughing at something the other had said, she hung her head in sorrow. She needed to talk to Ron again, just to hear his voice once more, to see that goofy grin he always had. She wanted to be close to him again. So, Kim made the first concrete decision of the day and headed off in the direction of Ron's final resting place.

It wasn't a far walk from where she was, and she supposed that on a subconscious level, she had been headed there the entire time. The redhead walked through the old part of Middleton cemetery until she came to the newer section. She had been to Ron's grave at least a dozen times since the funeral, and knew the way by heart now. She kept her gaze aimed steadfastly at the ground until she was almost upon the site and then she looked up, expecting to find herself alone with no one but Ron.

But that wasn't the case today. Standing over Ron's grave was a young woman, most likely her age with short black hair, that she didn't recognize. She was dressed simply in a modest black skirt and a black blouse, obviously here to pay her respects. The woman seemed to be saying something in Japanese, but Kim couldn't tell. Besides, she was sure that Ron didn't know anyone who spoke an Asian language when he was alive. _"Maybe she has the wrong grave?"_ Kim wondered. She wanted to go over to her and ask the girl if she was lost, but something held her in place. 

The woman finished what Kim assumed to be some type of prayer, and bent down to place a single white rose at the foot of the grave marker, giving the stone monument a gentle touch before rising again and turning away. Kim could now tell that the woman was indeed of Japanese origin, and had been crying. After a few steps, the other girl looked up and her breath caught in her chest. She stared at Kim with a look of surprise; possibly she didn't want her to know that she was there? But the other girl quickly regained her composure and walked with purposeful strides towards the redhead.

When she was close enough, the Asian girl smiled and bowed slightly. "Kim-dono, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Yori Aiemi and was a friend of Stoppable-san's. I am truly sorry for your loss."

Kim smiled back at Yori, hiding her confusion from the other girl. _"I thought I knew every friend that Ron had. Me, Monique, and Rufus. So, who is this girl?"_ Kim wondered. But she kept those feelings to herself for the time being and simply replied, "Thank you. It's nice to meet another friend of Ron's. Especially now."

Yori held a sad expression on her face, but in her eyes there held another emotion that Kim had not felt in the past two weeks. It was hope, and what Kim did not know was that Yori was here to bring it back to Kim Possible's life.

"Kim-dono, I wish there was more time so that I could gain your trust before I tell you what I must tell you but, I am afraid time is a luxury that we do not have."

At this, Kim could no longer hide the confusion and surprise that she was feeling and voiced her emotions. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. We just meet. What is it that you could possibly have to discuss with me?"

At this, Yori gave Kim a small smile, a hopeful smile. "It concerns your friend, Ron Stoppable, and his future in this world."

***

Author's Notes: The other night I watched "Exchange" just before going to bed and that night I had a dream about the founder of Yamanuchi. It was about how he had come to be a Ti Shing Peck Quar master and the founding of the ninja school. It was a really cool dream and I decided that I wanted to tell the story as I had dreamt it. But I figured that everyone would want a Kim and Ron connection so I created a story around the story. This chapter is, obviously, not part of the dream; that will start in Chapter Two. If I am right, there will be about five chapters to this story. 

On a side note, I personally dislike stories where either Kim or Ron dies. Not that I am opposed to the concept, its just that its been done before. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a way to tell the Yamanuchi story without having Ron die first. Sorry to you Ron fans out there, but don't give up hope yet. Ron might make an appearance later on in this story.

Also, I have borrowed something from one of my favorite writer's here at fanfiction.net, Geor-sama, and that is his idea on what Yori's last name is. George, if you are reading this and want me to take it off, please let me know. And to everyone else, go read some of his stuff. It's fantastic.


	2. Chapter Two: Ti Shing Mysticism

At this, Yori gave Kim a small smile, a hopeful smile. "It concerns your friend, Ron Stoppable, and his future in this world."

Kim was expecting something else, something profound or some hidden truth that life held to make all of this better, but she was not in the mood for some stupid and hurtful game that this girl was playing. She let a scowl cross her face and let Yori know of her displeasure. "You know as well as I do that Ron has no future in this world."

Yori knew that this was not going to be an easy task, even if she had the other girl's trust. It was evident that Ron-san had kept his word in keeping the secret of Yamanuchi, even from his closest friend. Explaining Ron's part in the prophecy was going to be difficult enough, but at least he had seen Yamanuchi and knew of the mystical monkey power. Explaining Kim's part in the same prophecy was going to be near impossible.

But, impossible or not, she still had a mission to complete and a school to save. And she needed to get started as soon as possible. "I understand that in your culture, death is seen as the final act of the living, a passing from this world to the next. Not all cultures believe that such a fate awaits us beyond the veil of death. All I am asking is that you allow me to show you that there is another possibility in this world."

Kim listened to what the strange girl was saying. It was evident that she was not playing some sort of cruel game with her, but rather that she grew up in a land that viewed death in a different way than she did. She knew that Ron was gone and wasn't coming back, but she decided that she would hear what Yori had to say. It was the polite thing to do for a friend of Ron's and there was a part of her that was curious to know what the other girl thought had happen to her friend.

"Okay, I will grant your request. What is this other possibility that you are talking about?"

Yori heaved a sigh of relief. She was confident in her ability to persuade Kim of the truth of the situation as long as the redhead would be willing to listen to it. Having accomplished that much, her predicament seemed easier all of a sudden.

"Unfortunately, it would take too long to do so now and there is something that I must show you that will convince you that I am right. If I am not mistaken, there is a festival this Saturday that the entire town will be at? Then, I suggest we meet at the cafe in town, eight o'clock this Saturday. That will give me enough time to tell you the full story and answer all of your questions."

It seemed like a reasonable plan to Kim. And it had the added bonus of giving her a good excuse to give to her parents as to why she wasn't going to the fair in the first place. Having made her decision, Kim nodded at Yori, "Sounds like a plan. I will see you there."

Yori bowed to Kim once more, thanked her, and took her leave.

_Saturday_

Kim looked up at the sign outside the small coffee house. It was almost eight o'clock, the time that she had promised Yori that she would meet her here but the nagging reservations made one last stand to get her to back out of this. This part of her was sure that no good could come from this, that she would just end up even more hurt and possibly in a fight with this girl. But the other part of her wanted to know just whom it was that she was dealing with and what role she had played in Ron's life. 

It was an argument that wasn't unfamiliar to her, as she had been having it ever since she had met the girl in the Middleton cemetery that day. Both sides were equally persuasive and she found herself liking both options, but in the end, it came down to the fact that she had given her word that she would be here, and she wasn't about to break her promise.

Her mind made up, she opened the door to the cafe and entered. It was very quiet and there was almost no one in the place, as everyone else was at the Fall Fair. She looked around the sparsely populated room and noticed that Yori had taken a seat at a table in the far back of the establishment, well away from anyone else. It ensured, if nothing else, that they would be alone for what Kim was sure was going to be a difficult conversation.

The redhead began walking over towards the Asian girl when Yori noticed that she had entered the cafe. The other girl stood up from her place at the table and greeted Kim, motioning for her to take the seat opposite her. 

"I am glad that you came, Kim-dono. I was not sure that you would."

Kim, who already had mixed feelings about this, did not take kindly to Yori's last statement. "I promised you that I would. That alone should have been enough to ensure you that I was coming."

Yori gave Kim an apologetic smile. "I am sorry if I have offended you. I beleive that we have, as your culture says, 'Started off on the wrong hand'?" Yori, who had been schooled in London for several years, knew the correct use of the expression, but decided to use the wrong word in the hopes that it would ease the mood.

It worked. Kim smiled back at the girl sitting across from her and corrected her gently. "It's foot. 'Got off on the wrong foot'. But it's no big. I'm just a little on edge because I'm not sure what to expect out of this meeting."

The mood at the table now seemed much more relaxed, which was good because she needed for Kim to stay for the entire legend to be told, otherwise her mission might be a failure. "Before we begin, I must inform you that I am a member of a secret society, one charged with the protection of a great and awesome power. And I must ask that what I tell you tonight be kept in the strictest of confidence."

This revelation had peeked Kim's interest. Secret societies? Great powers? And just was Ron doing mixed up in all this? Already she wanted to know the full story behind the exotic beauty in front of her and was thankful that she had taken the meeting. "I give you my word that I will not reveal anything that you tell me tonight."

Yori looked at Kim carefully for the next few moments before she decided that the redhead was telling the truth. "That is good, Kim-dono. For what I am about to show you has not been seen by the eyes of an outsider in over a thousand years. Well, no outsider except for Ron-san."

The Asian girl then reached down to grab something that was resting on the floor next to her chair. She pulled the object up and placed it with great reverence on the table in front of Kim. It was a wooden case that had been stained black and was varnished, with immaculately polished brass hardware holding it together. To Kim, it looked like it had been recently purchased in a fine luxury items store, but upon closer inspection, the cheerleader could tell that there were minor imperfections in the case that revealed it to be much older than it looked. 

But however impressed Kim was with the case, she was absolutely speechless when Yori disengaged the clamps and opened the top. There, resting on royal purple velvet, was a sword. It was about three feet long with a slight curve to it. The metal that it was made out of was like nothing that she had ever seen before. It was almost as if it was glowing a faint blue in the dark lighting of the cafe. It also looked like it had never been used before, because, try as she might, she was unable to detect any signs of damage to the weapon.

Kim reached out hesitantly to touch the intoxicating sword, but before she could get close enough, Yori closed the case and returned it once more to its place beside her chair. Once the case had been closed, the spell that had surrounded Kim seemed to be broken and she looked back at Yori with a thousand questions on her mind. 

But the other girl cut her off before she could get out a word. "I see that you have many questions, and I will try to answer them all in due time. The weapon that I have shown you is called the Lotus Blade and it is with its heir that I shall start my tale about the legend of this sword."

"The first heir of the Lotus Blade was a famous warrior named Toshimu. We have no information as to whom his family was except to say that he was born in the year 318 AD in the jungles of the African continent while his parents were on an expedition at the behest of the emperor of Japan. Shortly after his birth, the entire party that had traveled from Japan was all killed by a plague of some kind. No one knows for sure what happened, except to say that only Toshimu lived."

"The jungles of Africa are not a nice place to be in for a fully grown and trained warrior, but a child that was alive for only a few short days without any protection was sure to have a painful and short future. As legend has it, a rather poisonous snake had found its way to where the babe laid. It was at this moment that our founder's destiny began to assert itself. At the same time that the snake was entering the ruined camp, a group of monkeys were to be spotted overhead, safely out of the reach of the serpent. Normally, the monkeys would have kept moving without giving the human baby a second thought, but there was something different about this child. So, instead of leaving him to his fate, the monkeys took him and raised him as their own."

At the thought that the founder of whatever order Yori had pledged herself to had been raised by monkeys, Kim began to become very skeptical about what she was hearing and, in fact, began to wonder about the sanity of the young Asian woman across from her. Yori picked up on the redhead's body language and raised both her hands in front of her. "Yes, I am aware that the tale is somewhat.... farfetched, but the beginnings of our founder are both the part of the story that is least believed and the part that is least important. Please, indulge me a little while longer."

Kim gave Yori a disbelieving look, but remained quiet and listened as the other girl continued her story. When she was sure that Kim would allow her to continue, she gave her a thankful smile and begun again.

"Toshimu remained with the monkeys for a number of years until he was about twelve-years-old. It was then that he happened upon a monk that was praying in the jungle where the boy had lived his entire life. The monk, whose name has unfortunately been lost to history, was a disciple of a unique off shoot of Buddhism that believed that the last step a soul must take before ascending to the afterlife forever was that of a monkey. It was known as Ti Shing mysticism, and one of the prophesies that this branch of Buddhism held was that a boy who had lived with the monkeys would bring the power of the monkey to the world. And so, when the monk ran across Toshimu in the jungle, he remembered the prophesy and believed that this was the boy that it was talking about."

"So, the monk decided that he would teach the young boy the ways of Ti Shing mysticism. It took some time, as the boy did not speak any language, but the monk was a very patient man who had a lot of time on his hands. And over the course of the next seven years, Toshimu was able to tap into a source of power that had before been only reserved for the gods. I believe that you have had some experience with it. Mystical monkey power?"

Yori could see that Kim gained a look of understanding. "Yes, I have had a few encounters with the mystical monkey power."

The other girl smirked at her guest. "I see that you have been on the other end of the power at times. And have lived to tell the tale. My admiration, Kim-dono, I was aware that you were an accomplished warrior but I was not aware that you were up to fighting against such a force."

If there was one thing in this world that the girl who could do anything had an almost impossible time doing, then it was dealing with praise. She had always believed in modesty but deep down, a part of her wanted to jump up and shout to the world, "You're damn right I'm good. I'm Kim Possible and I can do anything!" So, she usually just compromised between the two and gave Yori her traditional, non-committal "No big."

The Asian girl nodded and continued with her story. "By the time he had reached his nineteenth year, Toshimu had become an accomplished martial artist, but also a great philosopher in the ways of Ti Shing mysticism. He had surpassed the old monk that had become his mentor and his father. It was in that same year that the old monk passed on to the next life that awaited him. Our founder knew at this point that he had to make the journey to Japan to further his training in Ti Shing mysticism, and now that his master was no longer with him, he had nothing to stop him."

"It took him almost a year to traverse from the jungles of central Africa to the island of Japan. He gained much strength from the time he spent with other Buddhists in India and various mystics in China. In the year 338 AD, he crossed the Sea of Japan where he headed south towards the present day city of Kyoto. Since it had been a long journey, Toshimu decided to take extend refuge on the Mount Yamanuchi, where he could recover from his trip and redouble his efforts in meditation."

"He had been on the mount for but a few days when his destiny once again asserted itself. It was a day like any other, starting at 4:30 in the morning for a few hours of meditation. Only on this particular day, Toshimu was able to reach a new level of spiritual awareness and take his consciousness to a new level of connectedness with the world around him. It was then that he received the vision."

"In his vision, the old monk that had been his mentor and teacher for so many years came to him as an avatar of the gods. He explained to Toshimu that there is a power within all living things, a power that can be tapped into and used by those who are attune to the true nature of the world. The most powerful of these is the mystical monkey power."

"Because of the nature of the mystical monkey power, the gods allowed that only those who were most worthy, those who had proven themselves capable, would be granted access to it. And the gods had decided that Toshimu was the first such person to be granted this gift. Through his many years in the study of Ti Shing mysticism, he had been able to gain an understanding of the true nature of the power and it had been decided that he would be the instrument of the gods to bring that understanding to mankind. At that moment, our founder was infused with a power and insight that he had not known existed. Things that had previously been impossible for humanity were now at his fingertips, able to be called forth at a mere thought or word."

"The monk then informed him that it was now Toshimu responsibility to bring the insight that he had achieved to the rest of humanity. Only those who were worthy enough, those who were gifted and talented would be allowed to know the secrets of Ti Shing mysticism. The determination of who was worthy and who was not was left to our founder."

At this point, Yori paused in her story to take a sip of the tea that she had ordered. The brief moment of silence from her host allowed Kim to break the spell that the story had worked on her. It was, if nothing else, a very entertaining tale, even if Kim didn't believe a word of it. But, whatever her misgivings about what she was being told, it did allow her to take her mind off her sorrow. If only for a moment.

The moment passed, and Yori began her story again. But before she did, she once again grabbed the black case at her feet and placed it on the table in front of her, only this time she did not open it. "Before the vision ended, the monk gave our founder one last gift. He told Toshimu that there would be many in this world who would want the power for themselves, to corrupt it's purity and twist it to their own whims. So, the gods had decided to give him something with which to protect the mystical monkey power." 

She tapped the black case in front of her twice. "The Lotus Blade. It was the instrument of the gods that was given to Toshimu to defend mystical monkey power from the evil in the world."

"After the vision had ended, our founder continued to meditate on Mount Yamanuchi for an additional forty days and forty nights. When he was finished, he decided to create a school to teach Ti Shing Peck Quar and Ti Shing mysticism to the next generate as the gods wished. He used the Lotus Blade to carve the school out of the very rock of Mount Yamanuchi, as a memorial to the location where he received his vision. And that is the story of the founding of my school and how the Lotus Blade came into being."

After a moment passed in silence, Kim began to realize that this was the end of the story. She just sat there for a little while longer, watching Yori sip at her tea and wondering just what in the hell all this had to do with Ron and she voiced her question.

"Do you remember, Kim-dono, about two years ago when Stoppable-san was chosen to come to Japan for a week as an exchange student? Did you not wonder why he was chosen over so many others in your school?" 

Kim had to admit that she was puzzled at the time, but after the trip, she had put it out of her mind. After all, Ron had told her that nothing had happened. What was it that he said? 'Same ol', same ol''? "Yes I remember."

"After the passing of Toshimu, the Lotus Blade was kept at the school until its heir made himself known. There have been thirty-nine heirs of the Lotus Blade, including our founder. The last heir died on the same day that Stoppable-san was born. This in and of itself was not extraordinary, given that millions of people were born on the same day. But when Ron-san came in contact with the four jade monkeys, they were able to infuse him with a small measure of the mystical monkey power. Only the true heir of the Lotus Blade could have been given such a gift from the statues, and once we learned of it, we were certain that we had found the fortieth heir of the Lotus Blade. And it was Ron Stoppable."

This was a lot for Kim to take in. To find out that your best friend had a hidden destiny that he kept from everyone, that somehow her goofy, blonde haired friend was connected to a seventeen hundred year old prophesy had stunned her into silence. But, even if what Yori was telling her was true, what did it matter? Ron was dead, and so the Lotus Blade would pass to the forty-first heir. 

"Yori, you have shown me and told me much that you have kept secret for almost two thousand years. Why share this with me now, when nothing more can be done? Even if Ron was the heir of the Lotus Blade, he still has no future now. You should be searching for the next heir."

The Asian girl sighed deeply. "Kim-dono, you are correct. Normally, the master of Yamanuchi would begin the search for the next heir as soon as the death of the last one was confirmed. However, as Ron was the fortieth heir, we do not have the luxury of waiting for the next reincarnation. There is more to the tale of our founder, but unfortunately I cannot relay the rest of it here."

Kim shook her head. She was getting a little tired of getting only bits and pieces of a story that was little more that an entertaining bit of fiction that had been passed from one generation to the next. "Look, why can't you just tell me now? I mean, where do we have to go for the next chapter in this story?" 

Yori smiled, hoping that if Kim had been patient enough to listen so far, that maybe she would be willing to take the next step of the journey. "To continue the story, we must head to Japan, to the school at Mount Yamanuchi."

***

Author's Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed the first piece of the legend. Next up, Toshimu is introduced to his lover and his mortal enemy. And Kim begins to discover that there may be more to the story then just fiction. Until then, enjoy chapter two.


	3. Chapter Three: The Sacrifice

_Monday _

"Are you sure that there isn't anything that I can get you, Ms. Possible?" the flight attendant asked her for what seemed like the fiftieth time. "Perhaps a blanket or something to drink?"

Kim had to smile, despite the slight annoyance that she was feeling from being interrupted constantly. Everything that she had heard about first class was true, right down to the almost personalized service that one got from the cabin crew. Still, all she wanted to do was be alone with her thoughts at the moment, no matter how friendly the woman in front of her might be.

"No thank you, I think I'm just going to get some sleep," Kim lied. She had no intentions of even trying to, despite the fact that she desperately needed it. _"Only six hours in the last two days. Damn, if I don't get some shut eye soon, I'm gonna pass out,"_ she thought. But if it was anything like the sleep she had gotten lately, then the redhead wanted no part of it.

All she could see was his face. It was amazing just how little damage there was to it after all that electricity had coursed through his body. Every time she closed her eyes, his face greeted her. It was the same thing, time and time again. She would watch as his hand made contact with the metal connector, how for a split second it seemed that his body became almost completely blue, and then it was over. He would just drop to the ground, like a marionette with its strings cut, those chocolate eyes staring into space without the usual sparkle that accompanied them.

She would dash over to him, time slowing for her as she got closer to his body, almost as if she were running through water. Falling to her knees, with the first of many tears already welling up from the pit of despair that was insider her, she would gently place his head in her lap, lovingly close his eyes, and wonder for the first of many times why it had to be him. A look of utter peace had come over him as he left all his cares and worries behind. Then, suddenly, his eyes would snap open, he would look at her, staring intently into her green eyes, and tell her in a voice that was at once his and not his, "I'm still alive, KP. Help me."

It was at this point that she would wake up screaming. The first time it had happened, her father had broken down the door to her room believing that some horror was befalling his daughter. After the first week went by, she would no longer wake up screaming, but the cold sweat and the gasping for air remained. And the lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll. She would forget things, she had trouble concentrating, and her appearance was suffering. If this kept up, she would go seek some professional help, if for nothing else than a good night's sleep.

She looked over at her sleeping friend that was sitting in the seat next to her. No, friend wasn't the right word. Yori seemed straight-forward enough, but Kim was beginning to wonder if the Asian girl wasn't leading her into some kind of danger. Boys raised by monkeys? Visions from the gods? It all sounded like some folk myth that had been passed down from one generation to the next, a cultural story that had faded from truth into fiction over the course of many generations.

Yet, she had been Ron's friend. He had spent a week in her company, training at her school, and hearing her stories. If he had thought it important enough to keep something like that from her, his best friend, then maybe there was something to what Yori was saying. After all, Ron might have been annoying at times and goofy all the time, but he had had a good head on his shoulders. Yet....

There was more to it than just Ron's beliefs, Kim had to admit to herself. When Yori had first told her that she would have to fly half way around the world in order to hear the second part of a story that she had already decided was fantasy, her first instinct was to decline. She had a lot to do back at home, packing up her things and preparing herself mentally and emotionally to return to what would pass as a normal life. But, there was a voice, one that she wasn't even aware that had ever been there before, that spoke to her, telling her to go. It was small, and would be drowned out anytime another part of her psyche arose from her subconscious, but it was persistent. And eventually, she could no longer ignore it.

That was how she came to find herself flying in the first class cabin of a Jumbo 747, streaking across the night sky towards the Asian coast. She rolled over once more, staring out into the inky expanse that was the Pacific Ocean, and wondered what was to come. She closed her eyes, and for the first time since her ordeal began, she slept in peace.

XXX

The bus that Kim found herself on wasn't very different than one that she might find on the streets of Middleton, except for the fact that all the advertisements were in Japanese. They had been riding this particular one for over an hour, having gotten on it in Kyoto after an early breakfast. The sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains of Southern Japan, and the view was breathtaking.

Kim had once again retreated into her mind. She had asked Yori several times after their plane had landed about what was to come next, but the Asian girl simply smiled and told her to be patient. The former cheerleader was certain that Yori had had some cryptic phrasing to get the point across, but it seemed that the other girl was not willing to push Kim any further than she already had.

So, given the lack of information that was forthcoming and what little she knew of her companion, Kim was content to watch the pristine landscape of the Japanese country side pass by. As time passed, the bus arrived at many stops, always letting off more passengers than it was letting on, until finally, the only people who remained were Yori and herself.

As the bus traveled further into the countryside, Kim found that they were on moving along at the base of a range of mountains. She looked up and discovered that she was unable to see beyond the sheer rock face of what she assumed to be Mount Yamanuchi. The redhead was an accomplished climber, and would have no difficulty reaching the school at the top of this mountain, but she had left her climbing gear back in the states.

As she was pondering the perils of a free climb without any safety gear, the bus came to an abrupt stop. She looked forward and saw that the bus driver had apparently stopped in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't even a proper bus stop, just a small pull off on the side of the road. But it looked like this was their destination because Yori stood up, grabbed her things, and headed for the front of the bus.

Kim grabbed her bag as well and followed Yori towards the front. Just as the other girl was about to get off, she turned and bowed to the driver who merely nodded in return. The redhead thought that it was odd that Yori would bow to the man; she knew that bowing was the custom in Japan, but she didn't think that it was that prevalent. She was already dismissing the gesture when, as she passed by the driver, she noticed that he had a tattoo at the point where his right index finger met his right thumb. It was small and had faded over time, but it was one that Kim would recognize anywhere; after all, she had sported one on her own neck for a time. The tattoo was of a green monkey in a martial arts stance.

Kim was unsure what the tattoo signified and she gave the man a quizzical look as she stepped off the bus. She turned back, a question at her lips but the driver just gave the girl an enigmatic smile. The redhead had barely a moment to ponder this turn of events before she heard Yori calling out to her. She turned to look at the other girl, her attention momentarily diverted away, and the man was able to drive away, back down the road in the direction of Kyoto.

Suddenly beginning to question whether it was a wise choice to follow a prefect stranger into the countryside of a foreign land, the former cheerleader started walking towards her guide when she noticed that Yori was moving some of the brush that had grown around the base of the mountain face. Wondering what the other girl was doing, she was just about to ask her when her guide pushed back a section of the growth to reveal a tunnel in the rock face. Amazed at the perfect camouflage, Kim stood there for a moment until Yori signaled to her to enter.

Too stunned to realize that she might be walking into a trap, Kim grabbed her bag without any thought and stepped into the tunnel. It wasn't very long, and she needed no illumination as she could see through to the other side. As she stepped out of the other end, she was forced to squint at the bright sunlight that began assaulting her eyes. But when she was able to recover, Kim was awestruck at the scene that lay before her. Completely concealed by the mountain peaks surrounding it was a valley that was undetectable from the outside.

The redhead found herself standing at one end of the gash into between the two sets of peaks with a path that stretched out before her, leading up and into the mountains. Kim heard a noise behind her and turned to see the smiling image of Yori. "Impressive, is it not?" the Asian girl asked. Kim was only able to nod in response, having returned to the view that had captured her attention.

"Come, we have many hours to go before we can rest at the school," Yori stated as she walked passed Kim on her way towards the path. The redhead followed and found that the hours passed quickly enough as she strolled amongst the lush vegetation of the terrain. Eventually, she began to wonder if they were close to the school when they rounded the last bend in the path. It seemed that they had made it through to the other end of the valley for before her lay another mountain peak that was perpendicular to the two set of peaks that she had already seen.

But it was what was carved into the final mountain that she was interested in. There, on the top of what she assumed was Mount Yamanuchi, was a city carved out of the rock. She could clearly make out several giant pagodas made from stone with bright red and green rooftops. Her curiosity demanded that she know what else there was to this hidden city, so she quickly crossed the set of three rope bridges that granted access from the mountain path into Yamanuchi.

The end of the last bridge led to a small path between two pagodas that in turn emptied into a large courtyard. It was evident to Kim that this was a space that was used for many purposes from martial arts practice to silent meditation to the gathering of the students here. The further into the courtyard that she went, the more that her status as an outsider was felt by her; the stares that she was receiving from the students that she passed, who were all dressed in a white ninja gi, ranged from curious to pondering to outright hostile. She was about to say something to Yori when her guide placed a hand on her shoulder and pointed towards a bench off to the side of the courtyard.

The two girls walked in the direction that Yori had pointed and they came upon a man who was sitting on the bench. He was easily well into his eighties, but looked like he possessed an inner strength that Kim could only hope that she had when she reached his years. The elderly gentlemen motioned for Kim to take the spot next to him, and he waited while she sat down before speaking.

"Ms. Possible, I am glad that you have come. I am the Master Sensei of the secret ninja school here at Yamanuchi." He then turned towards Yori and said something in Japanese. The other girl bowed deeply to the old man, turned, and took her leave of them.

Figuring that finally she had met the person who was going to give her the answers she so desperately wanted, Kim began to ask the Master what was going on when he held up a hand to stop her. "I know that you have many questions, Kimberly, but be assured that you have come to the place where you will find your answers. If I am not mistaken, you have come all this way to hear the other half of the legend of Lotus Blade," he stated with a gesture towards the giant statue that resided to his right.

Kim looked in the direction that he had motioned and saw an immaculate stone figure that stood before her. There he was, the first master of Ti Shing Peck Quar and founder of the Yamanuchi School. He almost looked larger than life, and she was sure that when he was alive, Toshimu gave that impression to those around him. And in his hand, he held the Lotus Blade.

Yet, as she gazed at the statue of the great warrior, she noticed that there was another statue, smaller and behind the first one, of a woman. The redhead moved her head slightly to get a better look at her and noticed that she was a little younger than Toshimu, dressed in a kimono and kneeing.

Master Sensei noticed that Kim was no longer looking at the statue of Toshimu and spoke up. "The other statue is of a student, one of the very first here at Yamanuchi. Her name was Suiko. The exact year that she was born is a mystery but we do know that she was around seven years younger than Toshimu. She, herself, was not of Japanese decent but rather Chinese. Her father lived near the present day city of Shanghai some seventeen hundred years ago. His name was Nobunaga and he was also a disciple of Ti Shing mysticism."

"However, unlike the monk who was the surrogate father to Toshimu, Nobunaga was an evil sorcerer. As the legend goes, he had some success in gaining mystical monkey power, but as his heart was not pure, he could never be completely successful. Instead of a mission to bring the enlightenment of Ti Shing mysticism to the world, he sought to harness its power to rule all of China. He was known as a violent man, with little room in his heart for mercy. Many the gruesome tale was told about what happened to those who entered his estate, and as time went by and the horrors grew, so did the legend of the mad sorcerer."

"Sometime in the year 325 AD, he had achieved enough power to attract the attention of a demon from the underworld. This demon promised him powers beyond those of mortal man in exchange for a sacrifice to his greatness. Nobunaga had by this time already descended well into madness and thus he had no objections to the death of one more innocent in his quest for power. It was at this time that the mother of Suiko made the unfortunate decision to enter the lands of the madman. She was on a great journey to see the rest of her family, and choose to cut through his lands to save days off her trip instead of going around it. It was a decision that would cost her her life."

At this point, Master Sensei paused in his tale. Kim, so far, had not said a word nor allowed a single emotion to cross her face. She had long ago decided that this tale was a myth that had been handed down from generation to generation, so the thought of some fictional woman meeting her death at the hands of an equally fictional madman really had no effect on her. It did seem to have an effect on the Master of Yamanuchi, however, as Kim realized that the elder man had paused to collect his emotions.

When he had composed himself, he returned to the story. "Nobunaga took the life of the young woman as a sacrifice to the demon. And the demon kept his part of the bargain and allowed an amount of mystical monkey power to enter the room, to be absorbed by whoever was there at the time. The madman thought he was alone, having killed the only other occupant of the chamber he was in, and would receive all of the power for himself. He was wrong."

"What he had first mistaken as the distended belly of a malnourished woman was in fact the womb of a pregnant mother. The child had been carried for almost the full term, and with the death of her mother and the savage way in which her mother's body had been ripped apart, the baby girl was brought into this world in the worst way imaginable. By the time the sorcerer realized that there was another in the room, it was too late and he had shared the gift of the demon with the newborn child."

"He immediately tried to kill the infant girl, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he could bring no harm to the little one. No sword could cut her flesh, and no magic could cause her ill. It was then that he decided that if he could not kill the baby, then he would raise it to be his puppet, thus regaining the mystical monkey power that he had lost."

"Life for Suiko was a brutal existence. Her 'father' was an unyielding taskmaster who saw fit to keep her working at her chores from morn till night, all the while crushing her spirit under the heel of his boot. But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how bad the punishment, she would not break. For ever since she was old enough to remember, Suiko had felt a calling. It was as if there was a great destiny awaiting her in a far off land, and she was determined to discover what it as."

"Her opportunity came when she was eighteen years old. Her master was leaving on a pilgrimage to a mystical monkey temple in India, giving strict instructions to his servants to ensure that the girl remain in his castle at all times. Suiko knew that if she were ever to have her freedom, she would have to escape on the night that the evil sorcerer left. So, while the entire estate was busy with the preparations of getting Nobunaga off on his trip, she used the distraction to slip away in the night. Being neglected finally became a blessing for her instead of a curse for it was several days before anyone noticed that she was missing."

"The young girl had no where to turn, no place to go to for shelter, not even a pair of sandals to cover her feet. But she knew that she had to get as far away from the lands of the madman who had been her captor. Guided by fate and a destiny that was beginning to assert itself, she raced to the Chinese coast of the Sea of Japan where she stole away on a boat that was crossing the body of water. Once she was in the land of the Japanese emperor, she began to feel a stronger and stronger pull towards the southern end of the island. Guided by a force that she knew nothing of, Suiko began a trek for Yamanuchi."

"She, of course, knew nothing of the school that Toshimu had built seven years earlier. The legend of the Ti Shing Peck Quar master coupled with the pull of the Lotus Blade to those who possessed the ability to receive mystical monkey power had brought word of the school to every end of Japan. By the year 343 AD, the founder of our school had many students and was fulfilling the promise he made to the gods. It was in this year, the same year that Suiko landed in Japan, that Toshimu began to feel a strong presence of mystical monkey power, almost equal to that of his own. After many days spent in meditation over the matter, he concluded that another master of Ti Shing Peck Quar had been found and was seeking out the school at Mount Yamanuchi."

"So, with Suiko guided by her heart and Toshimu guided by the mystical monkey power, it was only a matter of time before the two met. When she first stumbled into the school, her clothes were tattered and she had not eaten in many days. The girl was immediately taken to Toshimu, and after seeing Suiko for the first time, he knew that she was the one that he had felt. He ordered that she be nursed back to health, making sure to spend some time each day with the young girl. When Suiko was fully healed, Toshimu offered to personally teach her the ways of Ti Shing Peck Quar. The girl readily accepted his invitation, and she began to learn the ancient art under the personal guidance of our founder."

"As the years passed, the relationship between Toshimu and Suiko went from one of master and student to friendship to that of lovers. Working in close proximity with each other every day for seven years combined with the fact that he was the first man that had ever shown any care for her brought the two together until they pledged their love for each other and were joined. The ceremony took place on the exact spot that Toshimu had received his first vision, and it is the most sacred place for members of our society."

"Their marriage took place in the year 350 AD. This was the same year that Nobunaga returned to his estate in China, having acquired new powers from his trip to India. When he learned that the girl had escaped, he became enraged. He killed most of his servants, those that were not fortunate enough to be able to escape his wrath and laid waste to his lands. The evil sorcerer vowed that he would find Suiko and bring her back with him, no matter the cost."

"It took the madman several years, but finally, in the year 358 AD, he was guided by the mystical monkey power inside him to Mount Yamanuchi where he discovered the school. When he learned that there was a warrior who was spreading the secrets of Ti Shing mysticism to others, secrets that Nobunaga believed to be for him and him alone, he knew that he must destroy the school and get back Suiko."

"The next few years were ones of hardship for the students of the school. Nobunaga was a very wealthy man and was able to amass army after army to attack the school. But each time he tired, the students of Yamanuchi repelled the onslaught, and always with Toshimu, armed with the Lotus Blade, at the forefront. Some were lost in the great battles, but many more were lost on the other side as four years of fighting led to nothing for the evil sorcerer."

"Realizing that he could not afford to keep throwing army after army at the school, Nobunaga once again turned to source of the mystical monkey power that he had. When he had finally contacted the demon, the evil spirit was not pleased to learn that part of the power that it had bestowed upon Nobunaga had been wasted on a girl, and it became enraged at the thought that she would use that power to spread the secrets of Ti Shing mysticism to those whom the demon deemed not worthy. So, it granted the madman's request for an army that even the Lotus Blade itself could not stop"

"At this, a great hole appeared in the ground and from it issued forth an army of Hell's own soldiers. Amorphous and as black as the night, they stood one thousand strong, and no match for the students of Yamanuchi. The demon then gave the power to command this army over to Nobunaga with the instructions that he should not fail or face his wrath. Vowing that he would lay waste to the school, the madman turned and led his army off towards Yamanuchi."

"It was at this time that Toshimu felt a great evil come into the world. He knew that it was more powerful than anything he had experienced before, and he was not sure that he would be able to defend the school against such a force. Our founder took to his favorite meditation spot and there he remained for many days and nights until finally he received another vision. The monk that had been his guide in life once more returned to him to offer him the advice of the gods. He was told of the army that Nobunaga had amassed and what those soldiers truly were. He was told that no ordinary weapon could harm the demons in the madman's army, but only through a combination of Toshimu and the Lotus Blade could he defeat them. If Toshimu was willing to give of himself, then and only then, would he be triumphant."

"Toshimu took this to mean that it was he, and he alone, that must face the evil army with the weapon that the gods had given him all those many years ago. The great warrior, taking with him only the Lotus Blade, slipped out of the grounds of the school in the middle of the night to go face the approaching army for he knew that if anyone should see him leaving, they would follow him to their certain death."

"He did not have to travel far to engage the enemy, for they had already traveled a great distance. It was one against a thousand of Hell's best warriors, but Toshimu was not scared. He had his faith in the ways of the Ti Shing and was armed with the weapon of the gods. The great warrior did not hesitate for one moment and rushed head first into the fray. But, he soon learned that victory was not to be his that day, for as he tried to attack the soldiers in Nobunaga 's army, the Lotus Blade would pass right through them, as if they were made of nothing more than ether. The madman, who had been watching the entire display from a safe distance, merely laughed at Toshimu and told him that he would lead his army to victory this time. That he would wait until his school was destroyed and all his students perished before he would give Toshimu the release of death. Defeated, our founder retreated back to the school."

"He returned to the school only a few hours before the demon's army was to reach the gates. Exhausted, Toshimu was helped by Suiko to his place of meditation to contemplate the dire time that the school found itself in. And it was then that the answer came to him. The Lotus Blade itself was not enough to defeat the evil power that the demon had given Nobunaga. But, if he was to give of his own power and infuse it with the power of that the weapon already possessed, it would surely be enough."

"The transfer, however, came at a high price for Toshimu. In order to give of his mystical monkey power to the Lotus Blade, he had to give a piece of his soul. In order to keep the secrets of Ti Shing Peck Quar safe and to protect the students of Yamanuchi, he fragmented his very essence, a man forever incomplete except when he is in possession of the Lotus Blade. That is the reason why only a true heir of the Lotus Blade can wield it to its full potential."

"Needless to say, our founder was successful when he fought the demon army for the second time. When Nobunaga reached the gates, Toshimu ordered them to be throw open as he faced the fearsome horde alone. Now, with a power that was unstoppable, the Lotus Blade was able to dispatch the unholy soldiers in a matter of moments. And after many years of cruelty and inhumanity, the evil sorcerer was sent to the depths of hell, to the demon that had now become his master and tormentor."

"With the threat now gone and many years of hardship coming to an end, the students of Yamanuchi rejoiced. All, that is, except for Suiko who had seen her husband win on the battlefield only to collapse. The battle had taken much from him and our founder lay there in the field, mortally wounded. Suiko helped Toshimu into the school where he disappeared into the mountains alone. He spent one day and one night in the mountains and when he returned, he asked to speak with his wife, who was summoned immediately to his side."

"He explained to her that, in fusing a piece of his spirit with the Lotus Blade, he was destined to forever return after his death to wield the weapon in the protection of Yamanuchi and Ti Shing Peck Quar. Because his would forever be a separated soul, he could never move to the next life until the day when both parts of himself were reunited. He would be reincarnated, always to be drawn to Yamanuchi and his destiny. And that, because of this commitment that he made, he would not be able to join his love in the afterlife. Toshimu then kissed his wife goodbye for the last time, and ceased to be."

Although Kim was sure that not a single word of what she was told had been had actually happened, the romantic in her was nonetheless touched by the sad story of Toshimu and Suiko's love and how they would be forever separated. Finally able to look away from the Master Sensei of Yamanuchi, the redhead wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes and sniffled slightly. It took her a moment, but she was able to recover her composure quickly and, once again, asked the question that was foremost on her mind.

"Master, that was a very touching tale and it was almost worth the trip to hear it. But, what does this have to do with me and Ron?"

The Master gave his guest a knowing smile as he stood up and gestured for Kim to follow him. "Perhaps it is time that I show you one more thing before I finish the story of the Lotus Blade."

The elderly man began leading the confused teen through the courtyard towards a section that she had not been to before. As they progressed, Kim noticed that they were approaching what appeared to be the entrance to a shrine of some sort. It was a simple stone archway, with cherry trees along both sides of it blocking the view of what was beyond. Standing at the entrance was Yori, who gave Master Sensei a questioning look, but the old man simply shook his head.

He led Kim through the archway to a small clearing that gave a breathtaking view of the valley below. She could see the entire valley from this vantage point, with its majestic snow capped peaks and its lush green floor. In fact, Kim could have simply lost herself in it, enjoying the beauty of the scenery around her. That is, if she was looking at the scenery.

But what held Kim's attention was the small table that was in the center of the clearing. It was made out of the same stone that the rest of Yamanuchi was made out of, except that it had been studded with what Kim assumed was jade. As the Master Sensei walked around the other side of beige table, she noticed that there was something lying upon it that was covered with a pure white cloth. And as the elderly man pulled pack the sheet, the redhead was filled with a sense of shock and anger that she had never known in her entire life before that moment.

For lying upon the stone table was the body of Ron Stoppable.

XXX

Author's Notes: Well, this chapter really has a supernatural feel to it. Demons and satanic armies and swords that hold men's souls. It's a little different from what I'm used to writing, so I hope that the story isn't over the top. Hopefully by now you can tell where the story is going. There are a few more twists and turns along the way, but we're more than half way there by now.

A note about the names. Toshimu comes straight from canon, and therefore was a given before the story started. Suiko was the Empress of Japan in late 6th and early 7th century AD. She was credited for opening the doors to China and for promoting Buddhism in Japan. Given that Ti Shing mysticism is supposed to be an offshoot of this religion, I thought it appropriate to use her name for Toshimu's lover. Nobunaga was an ambitious man who was born into nobility and in the 16th century led an army to conquer the city of Kyoto. Seemed like a fitting name given that Yamanuchi is close to Kyoto.

Until next time, enjoy chapter 3.


	4. Chapter Four: Awakenings

At first, Kim just stood there, the combination of rage and shock momentarily causing her to freeze at the sight before her. As the moments passed by in complete silence, the shock of their betrayal began to ware off but her rage was only beginning to grow in intensity. Yet, before she was able to act on the fury that was inside of her, she knew that there was something that she had to do first.

The redhead took a step towards the table and, placing both hands on its cold, hard surface, looked into the face that had belonged to her best friend. It was just as she had remembered it, perfectly intact with his cute freckles and untamable blond hair. She brought the back of her hand up to gently brush his cheek, thankful that his eyes were still closed. She then bent down and kissed his forehead before grabbing the white shroud and replacing it over his face.

As his face once again disappeared from view underneath the white linen, something deep inside Kim snapped. Between the emotional toll, the lack of sleep, and the rage that had turned into a fire that could rival the sun, Kim made a decision to cross a line that she swore she would never cross. She was going to kill the old man in front of her. She was going to make him suffer unmercifully at her hands, make him understand the suffering that she was going through, and then, and only then, grant him the sweet release of death.

Silently and deliberately, Kim slipped into a fighting stance and prepared to take on the Master of the Yamanuchi School. The old man never moved, his stoic expression held even as the decision to send him to his maker, curtsey of one Kimberly Ann Possible, was being made. The utter lack of emotion, of remorse for his deeds only served to fuel the fire that burned inside the teen and she tensed her body in preparation for her fatal strike. Yet, just as she was about to flip over the stone table and aim a flying kick right at the old man's head, she heard someone call out her name from behind her. She turned quickly to see who the interloper was and gave the new arrival a cold, humorless smile. Perhaps the old man could wait until after she had gotten through with Yori.

The redhead turned, aiming lethal fists at the young Asian girl that had started all of this madness. But instead of falling into her own fighting stance, she merely held up her hands in an attempt to calm the enraged girl in front of her. "Please, Kimberly, before you do something that you'll regret, hear us out," Yori pleaded. She had told her master that this was a bad way to show her this, that it would only enflame her passions, and that was exactly what had happened.

Kim was through putting up with the fantasies and delusions that Yori kept spouting, and decided to take the approach of 'shoot first and ask questions later'. She bent her knees and placed her weight on the balls of her feet in preparation for her first strike. But just as she was about to launch herself, the voice, the one that had been whispering to her to come here to Japan, spoke up again. And it was telling her to let Yori make her case, to hear the girl out, to give her one last chance. And, then, if she didn't like what the Asian girl had to say, well...

Even still, she wasn't about to let her guard down, however, regardless of what that part of her psyche wanted. So, while holding a perfect Lotus stance, the heroine nodded at Yori. "I'm listening," the redhead prompted when the other girl didn't continue.

Yori breathed a sigh of relief. This was her last chance to convince Kim before the teen heroine went berserk on her school, so the Asian girl decided to make it count. "Kimberly, there is one more part of the legend that you have not heard. Suiko was devastated by the death of her husband after the final fight with Nobunaga. It was not the fact that he had departed from this life, for she could have waited until she had passed to see her beloved again. It was the thought that his soul was forever trapped here on Earth and that she would never be able to see him again for all eternity that had crushed her spirit."

"The students of the school realized that Suiko was in no condition to bury Tushimo, and so they took that duty upon themselves. It was a simple ceremony and his body was interred in the valley beneath us. You can see it from this vantage point, his favorite mediation spot. After the funeral, it took Suiko many weeks before she was able to begin the process of recovery from her loss, and when she did, she found that she got the most comfort from meditating in this spot."

"On the day of the one year anniversary of the defeat of Nobunaga and the death of Tushimo, Suiko spent the entire day here in contemplation. Towards the end of the day, as the sun was setting over Mount Yamanuchi, she received her first vision. Since she had never had one before, she was unsure who the monk that was now appearing to her was."

"He explained to the young woman that in life he had been Toshimu's mentor and had instructed him in the ways of Ti Shing Peck Quar and that now, in the afterlife, he had become the avatar of the gods, the method through which they communicated with those still in this life. Naturally, Suiko was very curious as to what the gods had to say to her as she thought of herself as just a simple peasant girl."

"The monk explained that the gods were not oblivious to her suffering over her loss. He told her that the gods knew of the sacrifice that Toshimu had made to help protect the school and Ti Shing mysticism, but they were also aware of the sacrifice that Suiko made in losing her love for all eternity. And the gods had decided that, because of the great devotion that she had shown Toshimu by staying true to him for a full year, they would offer her a way to be with her beloved again."

Yori paused for a moment, in part to collect herself, catch her breath, and allow herself to relax and in part to ensure that Kim was still listening to her. Over the last few minutes, she had noticed that the redhead had allowed slight imperfections creep into her Lotus stance. Kim was still a superior martial artist and only a very trained eye could have picked up on the clues that her body was giving off. Those clues were telling Yori that Kim was once again losing herself in the story of Toshimu and Suiko. But, now that she had stopped, Kim was shoring up her stance and losing her patience once more, thus prompting the Asian girl to continue.

"Naturally, Suiko was ecstatic at the thought that she would be able to see Toshimu again, even if it was in another life. She asked the monk how she could accomplish such a feat, and he replied that what she must do would come at a great cost and asked her if she would be willing to proceed. Suiko agreed immediately. The monk then told her that since part of Toshimu's spirit resided in the Lotus Blade, he would never be able to move on to the afterlife until both parts were reunited. Suiko responded that she was aware of this already, as her love had told her this before dying."

"The monk then said that if a fractured soul was keeping Toshimu here in this life, then the same fate would await Suiko if she were to infuse the Lotus Blade with a part of her soul. If she were to choose a destiny to forever protect the innocent, just like Toshimu had, then she would be allowed to be reincarnated along with her love and that the two souls would forever be tied to one another. Their love would then live for as long as the stars and nothing could ever come between the two of them again."

"The monk then reached out and touched Suiko, giving her the knowledge and power to do what only Toshimu had done before. He then told her that it was her choice, that she would only have the power to give of herself to the Lotus Blade until the next sunset, and then he took his leave of her."

"Suiko knew what she had to do. Without any hesitation or delay, she went to the shrine that held the Lotus Blade and brought the weapon to the spot where you now stand. No one knows precisely what she did to infuse a piece of her soul with the weapon, but we do know that she was successful. Unfortunately, she was not powerful enough to survive the process and she passed into the next life. The students found her the next day, kneeling in exactly the same position that she is depicted in her statue in the courtyard."

"Thus, for seventeen hundred years, the souls of Toshimu and Suiko have been reincarnated, always drawn to Yamanuchi and each other as their destiny dictates. In that time, there have been forty manifestations of the lovers, and before their duty is fulfilled there will be forty times forty more. And we, the students of Yamanuchi, will always await their return."

Kim listened to everything that Yori had said, but she hadn't allowed herself to relax her Lotus Stance. Her rage had cooled over the last twenty minutes that it took Yori to finish the tale, but only by a hair. It was pure fantasy, a superstition that held as much weight in the real world as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. Her patience all used up, she tensed up once more, ready to strike and finish it once and for all, when, before she knew what was happening, a question sprang from her lips, something that she was dying to know.

"What does any of this have to do with me and Ron? Not once have I seen a connection between us. Your story has not told me why you have hurt me or dishonored Ron. So, before I exact vengeance on you for defiling the body of my best friend, you've got one last chance. What does this have to do with me and Ron?!" she all but shouted her final question.

At this, Yori broke down. She took a single step towards Kim and told her in a voice that was at once pleading and annoyed, "Do you not see, Kim-dono? Do you not understand why we have brought you here, shown you things that no outsider has seen in over a millennium? It is because Ron Stoppable is the fortieth reincarnation of the soul of Toshimu! And you are the fortieth reincarnation of Suiko! The myth of our founder and his love is your story! You are Suiko!"

The redhead blinked. Out of all the things that Kim had expected to hear, this was not one of them. Anger began to be replaced by utter confusion. Unconsciously, she slipped out of her fighting stance, dropping her arms down to her sides and relaxing her shoulders. "Wha...what are you talking about?" she asked the Asian girl in a voice that was cracking under the stress of the moment.

Yori breathed in a huge sigh of relief at the realization that she was finally getting through to the stubborn redhead. "You, Kim Possible, are the current living embodiment of the woman that our founder loved. And the man that you love, the man that you gave up eternal peace in the afterlife for, is currently embodied by Ron Stoppable."

Kim just stood completely still. The idea of her and Ron being long lost lovers, reincarnated time and time again, always destined to return to one another, was simply too fantastic a tale to believe. "I don't believe you," she told Yori without a hint of amusement in her voice. "First, there is not a shred of truth to the story that you have told me. And second, assuming it was true for the moment, what makes you think that I am Suiko? There is no way that you can be sure."

The Asian girl gave Kim a smile that told the teen heroine that she was mistaken when she asserted that Yori could offer no proof as to the validity of her claim. "Oh, really, Kimberly? I can offer no proof that you are who I say you are? Do you remember when you were told how after Toshimu fell on the battlefield after defeating Nobunaga, he went up Mount Yamanuchi for a day and a night? When he came back, he did not come back alone."

"He knew that he was dying and that he would be reincarnated soon and that the students of Yamanuchi would have to begin their search for him. He wanted to help his students in their quest so he went up into the mountains and found a deposit of jade. Choosing four of the largest pieces that he could find, he carved the four jade monkeys that Stoppable-san encountered in Lord Fisk's castle three years ago. The jade monkeys were then, at the insistence of Toshimu, blessed by the gods so that, when the four were placed in a certain order, if a person who was able to receive mystical monkey power would step into the circle that was formed by the jade monkeys, the statues would channel mystical monkey power into that person."

"At the time that Toshimu created them, he believed that he was the only one who would benefit from such an encounter, which was why when we learned that Stoppable-san had received the power of the jade monkeys, we were certain that we knew who he was. He was invited to Yamanuchi as an exchange student so that we could be certain, and when he was able to yield the Lotus Blade to its full potential, we were sure that we had found the fortieth heir of Toshimu."

The redhead shook her head. "Let's say I believe you, which I don't. But if I did, you've only proven that Ron is Toshimu, not that I'm Suiko. How do you know that I am his, his.... lover," she all but whispered to Yori, finding that she was having great difficulty in calling herself that.

"Do you remember, Kim-dono, when Lord Fisk went after the amulet of the monkey king? That amulet was created sometime around 975 AD. After his death, Nobunaga had gathered a following, a secret society bent on succeeding where he had failed. One of his future disciples infiltrated the school here at Yamanuchi. It was his belief that by using a piece of one of the jade monkeys, he would be able to contact Nobunaga in the next life and receive the power that the demon had given the evil sorcerer."

"He was both successful and unsuccessful at the same time. The thief and betrayer managed to sneak into the chamber where the jade monkeys were kept and he did manage to remove a section of jade from the bottom of one of the statues. He smuggled the piece out of the school and back to China where the secret society was able to craft the piece of jade into an amulet."

"But when the leader of the society put the amulet on, nothing happened. It was believed that once the jade was removed from statue from whence it came, it lost all its power. The amulet was then used by the secret society as a symbol of leadership, the bearer earning the title of the monkey king, until the society failed. It was then discovered by archeologists in the year 1932 AD and subsequently ended up in the Forbidden City Museum."

"Then, two years ago, you were able to successfully stop Lord Fisk from stealing the amulet from the museum. But something happened when the amulet was placed around your neck. For the first time since it had been separated from the jade monkey, the little piece of jade was able to access the blessing that the gods had given it. Unfortunately, since it was never designed to be a separate piece, the effects were somewhat.... surprising."

"But what is important is not the fact that you were turned into a monkey. What is important is the fact that the amulet had an effect on you at all. Only someone who is able to channel mystical monkey power would have had any effect when they put on the amulet. It was once believed that only Toshimu had such an ability, but over the years we have discovered that there are three people that have the ability to receive mystical monkey power. The first is Toshimu, whom we already know to be Ronald. The second is Nobunaga, whom is currently residing in Hell. The third is Suiko, whom by process of elimination is you."

Kim was now dumbfounded. Now that Yori was relating how she fit into all of this, she couldn't deny that it was starting to make sense. But then she analyzed why it was making sense to her and she realized that it was all based off an assumption that the mystical monkey power could only be received by those three people.

"Yori, if what you are saying is true, then only three people can receive mystical monkey power. But how do I know that you are not mistaken about that, or worse, lying to me? You said that there was once a time when your people believed that only Toshimu could yield mystical monkey power, but now you know that to be mistaken. I know nothing of the myth that you have told me and even less of the mystical monkey power. How can I know for certain that I am the woman that you claim I am?"

At this, Yori walked past Kim and up to the table that held Ron's body, kneeling and removing something that was residing underneath it. When the Asian girl stood once more, Kim was able to get a look at what it was that she was holding and immediately recognized it as the black, lacquered case that held the Lotus Blade. The redhead felt herself once again drawn towards the weapon, just as she had back in the little coffee shop in Middleton, and she found herself focusing her entire concentration on the case.

Yori then took the case over to a pedestal off to the side of the meditation area and opened it, once again revealing the perfect blue blade inside. She then stepped away to allow the Master of Yamanuchi to walk over to the weapon, and he removed the blade from its resting place. He held it in his hands for a moment, as if savoring the feel of it, before he turned to Kim.

The old man then walked over to where the redhead stood. "Kimberly, do you feel some sort of connection with the weapon that I now hold?" He waited until the heroine nodded her agreement before continuing, "I want you to take the Lotus Blade in your hand. If you are not Suiko, then nothing will happen and I will do everything in my power to make things right by you and Mr. Stoppable. But if I am right, and you are who we say you are, then the part of your soul that resides in your body will connect with the part that resides in the Lotus Blade and you will know your true destiny."

Kim was now looking at the glowing blue blade in front of her with a trepidation that she had not felt before. She was sure that when she held the blade in her hand, nothing would happen as she was sure that she was not Suiko. But what if something did happen? Was she ready to take that chance, to find out that she had an unknown destiny that spanned several lifetimes? And that in each of those previous lives Ron had loved her and she had loved Ron?

She stood there for a moment, not moving, barely even breathing, just staring at the weapon. And then she realized that, as much as the thought of knowing scared her, the thought of not knowing scared her even more. So, her mind far from being certain, she reached out and took the Lotus Blade in her hand.

At first, nothing happened. A moment passed and Kim breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that what Yori and the Master Sensei had said was false. Then, just as she was about to relinquish the weapon back to the Master of Yamanuchi, it began. It was a difficult sensation to describe, but it was if memories that she hadn't thought about in a long time were coming to the surface of her mind, only they weren't any memories that she had ever made. In every one, she was a woman, but in each memory she was of varying ages and races. There were many that were located on the grounds of Yamanuchi and some even involved the Lotus Blade.

As the minutes passed, Kim felt herself getting swept up in the flood of foreign memories as more and more came rushing to the surface of her mind, at a faster and faster pace. And just as the memories were reaching a fever pitch, they began to focus on a single girl. It took her a moment, but Kim soon realized that the girl that she was now focusing on was Suiko.

At this realization, something happened. It was as if the entire world had faded away and she was now standing in the same little meditation space, but everything was different. The table was gone, as were Master Sensei and Yori. In their place, there was a man who was sitting in the Lotus position, obviously in meditation. Kim knew instantly that the man was Toshimu, but it was more than that. She knew more about him than just being able to recognize him on sight. She knew almost everything about him now, from how he liked to meditate to the private training session that he used to give her to what his skin felt like against hers and Kim realized that there had been a time and a place where she had been this man's lover.

At this realization, it all came crashing home for her. Everything that Yori had said was true, from their first lifetime as Toshimu and Suiko to the battle with Nobunaga to the thirty-nine subsequent lives that she had led. She remembered them all now, every moment of every life. It should have been overwhelming but instead it was as if she was just remembering some long lost memory from her present life.

Yori had been watching the entire scene unfold before her as the more Kim remembered, the more she was able to draw on her own ability to channel mystical monkey power. The heroine had fallen into a trance-like state and as more of the mystical monkey power became concentrated inside of her, the more a faint blue aura began to form around Kim. At about the same time Kim was coming to the realization that she was Suiko, Yori made the decision to focus her on the task that she had to accomplish.

So, the Asian girl walked over to where Kim stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. She could feel a tingle run through her body as she made contact with the mystical monkey power, but she knew that she had to get through to other girl. "Suiko, can you hear me?"

Kim was reveling in her newfound memories, jumping from one lifetime to another, when she heard Yori call out her name. Part of her knew that her name was Kim Possible and not Suiko but another part instantly responded to her Asian name. Kim then opened her eyes and instead of greeting Yori with her emerald beauties, her eyes had taken on the bluish glow that now surrounded the rest of her body.

Undaunted, Yori pressed on. "Suiko, Toshimu needs you. You need to bring him back to us. Use the Lotus Blade and reunite body and spirit once again."

Kim had heard what Yori had told her but had no idea what she was talking about. She was just about to question the Asian girl when her body began moving of its own accord. Momentarily frightened by the prospect that she had lost control of her own body, Kim was about to panic when a voice, the same voice that had been urging her along this entire time, spoke to her, telling her that there was nothing wrong, that another part of her was in control now, one that had laid dormant until recently. It was then that another flash on insight hit Kim and she realized that the voice that she had heard, the voice that had beckoned her to Japan, who had asked her to hear Yori out, and was now telling her that everything was going to be all right, had belonged to Suiko.

Trusting in the fact that the ghost of her former life would not lead her wrong, the redhead began to relax and allow whatever it was that was controlling her complete freedom to do what it willed. Once she had let go, Kim saw herself moving towards the stone table that held Ron's body. She stopped just in front of it and, grasping the Lotus Blade with both hands with the blade pointing straight up into the air, she began to meditate on images of Ron as he was in life. Images of the two of them at the Bueno Nacho opening, of the two of them on a mission, of the two of them at their senior prom began flooding her consciousness. And the more she meditated on him, the more she felt as if his presence was surrounding her, growing steadily stronger and stronger. Finally, when she felt that he was so close that she could simply reach out and touch him, the redhead gave a fierce scream, yelled a single word in Japanese, and plunged the Louts Blade deep into the chest of her best friend.

As soon as the weapon made contact with Ron, Kim was forced to let her grip on it go. She instantly fell to the ground, horrified at what she had just done. The blue glow that had once surrounded her was gone, as was the presence of Suiko that she had felt inside her, guiding her into such a betrayal of her friend. She began weeping at the base of the table, unable to bring herself to look at what she had just done until Yori came over to her.

"Come, see what is happening, Kim-dono," her guide begged of her with a hopeful smile.

Not wanting to look but realizing that she would have to at some point anyway, Kim allowed herself to be helped up by Yori but with her back turned towards the body of her friend. At Yori's gentle insistence, Kim reluctantly turned to face the sight of her horrific act when she saw something that went beyond anything that she had ever believed was possible.

The blade was still embedded in his chest, but the same blue glow that had once surrounded Kim now surrounded the white shroud that covered Ron. Unsure of just what was going on, Kim decided to take a step closer to look at what was happening underneath the white cloth when the right hand of Ron Stoppable suddenly reached up and grabbed the hilt of the Lotus Blade. The heroine knew that, deep down, she should be screaming at the unnatural sight in front of her, but she was just too shocked to do anything. So she simply stood still, watching the scene unfold.

Ron, with his hand still on the Lotus Blade, then sat straight up, bent at the waist so that the burial shroud fell off his face, the white cloth ripping around the blade that was still in him and pooling around his waist With his eyes still closed, he moved his head as if he were looking at the weapon that was stuck in his chest and, with a mighty scream, yanked the blade out. He then tossed the shroud to the side and leapt off the table, falling into a perfect fighting stance, holding the Lotus Blade like he had been born with it in his hands.

It was then that he finally opened his eyes, revealing not the chocolate orbs that Kim had come to know but the glowing blue power that had once possessed Kim only a short time ago. He quickly surveyed all that surrounded him until his eyes fell upon his best friend. It took a moment for him to recognize who it was that he was looking at, but when he did, his facial features changed from the stoic expression that he had held since his funeral to one of pure joy.

He rushed over to the redhead, who was still unable to move out of shock and bewilderment, crying out, "Suiko!" He was in front of Kim in a heartbeat and, taking her into his arms, he leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers. The combination of the power that resided in him and the force that he placed behind it combined to easily make it the most passionate kiss that either one had experienced in this lifetime. Caught up in the rush of emotion, at some point Kim found herself forgetting that it was Ron, her best friend, and began to kiss him back.

It was towards the end of the kiss that Ron finally let go of the Lotus Blade that he had still been holding onto so that he could fully wrap his arms around the woman that he loved. As the weapon clattered to the floor below, the blue glow that had surrounded him and had once surrounded Kim began to vanish. Finally breaking the kiss, Ron pulled back slightly from Kim while still holding onto to her. Their faces inches apart, the two best friends finally looked each other in the eye before a look of confusion replaced the look of joy and love on Ron's face.

"KP?" was all the blond was able to ask the redhead that he held in his arms before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out.

* * *

Author's Notes: Thanks to all who reviewed. This story was originally supposed to end in the next chapter, but I think that there might be more story left to write, especially at the insistence of a friend. I won't promise anything, but don't be surprised if everything isn't finished after the next chapter.

Speaking of which, in Chapter 5 we're going to get to see the triumphant return of Ron Stoppable. I glad to see the Ron fan's out there not give up hope and not lynch me for killing him off in Chapter 1. Now, he's back but obviously things have changed and some of that will be the focus of next chapter.

Until then, enjoy Chapter 4.


	5. Chapter Five: The Love of a Nation

Kim stood there, transfixed at the sight before her, a sight that she never would have thought possible until she saw it with her own eyes. Her best friend was standing before her, in a private grotto at a secret school half way around the world. And he was alive! How it had happened, the redhead couldn't have cared less; all she knew was that she had the most important thing in her life back.

For a moment, all she could do was wrap herself in the feelings of wonder and excitement and joy. But as the seconds passed, the spell that had weaved itself around her broke and the redhead was able to think again. Kim was about to call out his name and rush over to him when he finally opened his eyes and she gasped. Instead of the chocolate globes that she so desperately wanted to see, they were replaced by the blue energy that had encircled her earlier. His eyes flowed over his surroundings until they came to rest on her, and she felt a tingle run up her spine that she had felt only once before, when Josh Mankey had kissed her after their one and only date.

She wasn't sure what to do, as he continued to stare at her with the same impassive features that he had held these last two weeks, when a look of absolute elation came over him. She was unsure if he would be able to see it, but she returned the look with equal enthusiasm, a joy from her heart that she never knew existed. Fortunately, the next move was once again made for her as her blond friend began running towards her.

Expecting to be swept up in an enormous embrace, Kim held out her arms as Ron did the same. She was a little concerned that he was still holding the Lotus Blade, but all fears were allayed when she felt his arms wrap around her. She began to lean into her friend to tighten her grip on him when she felt herself being lowered slightly. Unsure of just what was going on, she turned to look at Ron when the last thing she expected happened. He kissed her.

And it wasn't the type of kiss that was shared between two friends who haven't seen each other in a long time and had missed each other. This was a kiss of a denied passion, of a longing that had been repressed until the moment when it could be released. It was a kiss between two lovers.

Unfortunately, Kim was unaware of any such deep-seeded longing, unlike the blond who had captured her in his arms. But, she was certain of one thing; the force that Ron was putting behind it was enough to easily make it the most amazing kiss she had ever experienced. Initially concerned that she was engaging in an intimate act with her best friend, she eventually allowed herself to become lost in the wonderfulness of the moment.

Seconds stretched into lifetimes for the redhead, but eventually she felt Ron take his lips from hers and pull back slightly. She was still leaning over in his arms when she opened her eyes, all thoughts gone except the eager anticipation of another kiss. What she saw sped up her heart just a touch as she was greeted by a sight that she had been longing to see since the incident at the nuclear power plant. His brown eyes. Only this time, the chocolate orbs once again held the sparkle that they had lost.

In that moment, when she was staring into his eyes with his face alight with unbridled happiness, Kim felt an emotion stir from deep within her. She wasn't sure if it was some sort of base attraction brought on by a rush of hormones or a deep longing that had been fulfilled at seeing her friend once again or maybe it was the beginnings of something much deeper. Two weeks ago, the thought that she would have fallen in love with her best friend would have seemed absurd, but after experiencing the effect of the Lotus Blade and seeing it resurrect Ron, she silently decided that the little cliché just might be true, that anything might be possible for her.

But the moment passed, the fleeting emotion returned to the ether, and she was brought back to reality as the once elated face of the blond that was holding her turned to one of utter confusion. Gone was the surety of his actions, the belief in what he was doing, and it was replaced by a million questions, almost as if he had just woken up from a deep slumber. The redhead heard him say her name, almost as if it was a question, and then he went completely limp in her arms.

Kim was not expecting this. She was in an awkward position, having placed all of her weight in his hands and suddenly the support that he was providing gave out. Thankfully, years of training and experience kicked in and she was able to deftly shift her body from underneath the blond to the side of him so that she was now in a position to carry both her body weight and his, preventing him from crashing to the ground. She was unable to sustain the pose that she was in, however, as the pain that was steadily growing in her back attested to. So she spun Ron so that his back was now parallel to the floor and, slipping one hand behind his head to pillow its decent, she gently lowered him to the ground and knelt next to him.

Shock soon gave way to a rising panic as Kim began to fear that her joy at seeing her friend once more among the living was premature. What if the effect of the Lotus Blade was only temporary? Or if the magic that was used to bring him back had somehow been done improperly? The redhead quickly pawed at his neck in a desperate attempt to feel for a pulse while a small part of her registered the fact that she was calling out for help. At first, as her fingers sunk into the soft flesh of his neck, she was unable to find the slow, steady rhythm that she was looking for, for in her haste and panic she didn't let her fingers linger long enough to find his jugular. The all consuming despair, the black hole that had engulfed her heart in those moments after Ron had died, was reforming itself and she knew that she was not going to be able to survive another round with it when two things happened. She felt Yori's arms grab her from behind in a comforting hug and her fingers were able to find the pulsing of his veins, telling her that her blond was, in fact, still alive.

Grief vanished as relief closed around her like a warm blanket and what little emotional control she had left departed her. Kim grabbed both of the blond's shoulders and lowered her face to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably as the pain and the joy of the emotional roller coaster that she had been on came pouring out. And as the moments passed and her crying ceased, the redhead continued to hold onto her friend as she simply enjoyed the gentle up-and-down motion of his chest.

Eventually, Kim once again felt Yori's grasp around her shoulders gently prying her away from her friend and the redhead found that she was too weak, both physically and emotionally, to resist. Lifting her head from Ron's chest, she turned to look at Yori and saw the smiling girl through her tear blurred eyes. She returned the smile and, on pure impulse, gave the Asian girl a gentle hug. It was an action of relief but also of gratitude for the teen heroine was beginning to realize that Ron had returned to her in no small part thanks to Yori.

The embrace, while genuine, was brief and when Kim once more looked around the courtyard she was surprised to see that she, Yori, and Ron were alone. Normally, the former cheerleader would have wanted to know exactly what was coming next, but for the moment she was content to simply relax and let others be in charge for once. She turned to gaze once more at her...well, Kim wasn't sure anymore. Friend? Lover? Soul-mate? One thing she was sure about was that he was her Ron, and for right now, that was good enough.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Master Sensei returning with reinforcements, six other students all dressed in white gis. They moved with confidence, as if they had been preparing for this situation for a long time. Their faces were set with determination and, although they moved quickly, they showed no sign of urgentness or panic. It was only when they had taken up positions next to Ron, three on a side, that Kim noticed that, for a brief second, a look of awe crossed their faces before it was replaced by the stoic expressions that they held when they had first entered.

When the Master of Yamanuchi took a place standing just in front of the blond's head, the six students turned to face him and bowed, but Kim got the sneaking suspicion that they were bowing to Ron and not Master Sensei. At this point, Yori gently but insistently brought Kim to her feet and led her out of the way. Then, the students, almost as if they were acting as of one mind, knelt down and lifted Ron to shoulder height. They looked at their elderly master for a moment before they followed him through the stone archway and out of sight.

Kim had watched the entire scene unfold silently, making a huge leap of faith that she was placing her trust and Ron's well being in the hands of the right people. Now, the redhead turned to the only other person who was with her in the grotto with an expectant look on her face.

"Where are they taking him?"

"They are taking him to administer to the needs of his body, Kim-dono. Remember that his heart has not beaten nor have his lungs breathed in over two weeks. The process of resurrection is an extremely stressful one, and right now Stoppable-san needs rest. Do not worry. He is with the only people in the world who are trained in helping people after they have been brought back to life," she consoled with a small smile.

Even Kim had to smile at that last bit. After all, resurrection was not exactly a specialty that they taught at Colorado State Medical School, or any medical school for that matter. And she understood that Ron needed to rest, but all she wanted to do was simply be near him, even if he was asleep.

"Can I go and see him?"

Yori's smile took on sympathetic note. "I am sorry, but Master Sensei has given strict instructions that Stoppable-san is not to be disturbed until he gives his permission. I know that you are very worried about your friend, but you need to let him be for a little while. Besides, he is not the only one who needs rest, Kim-dono."

As soon as Yori pointed this out to her, the redhead felt the exhaustion that had come with the day's events finally catch up with her. Her adrenaline rush had run out and the energy that she had acquired from the Lotus Blade had only postponed the inevitable crash that was awaiting her. Kim gave off a considerable yawn, as if to punctuate her tiredness, and when she was done, the former cheerleader gave Yori a smile conceding the point to the Asian girl.

"Come, this way. I will show you to a room that we have setup for you so that you can rest. Master Sensei will want to talk to you tomorrow when you are fully rested," Yori informed Kim with a gesture towards the stone archway. The redhead, who was in no condition to argue, followed the other girl out and into the courtyard. She gave a quick look around to see if she could catch a glimpse of Ron but wasn't surprised when she found that she and Yori were alone.

The heroine did pause when her gaze found the statues of Toshimu and Suiko. They were somehow different now. Since Kim had last seen them, the stone had not shifted from the shape that it had been carved into hundreds of years ago and she assumed that it was rather something inside of her that had changed as she focused her attention on the face of Suiko. _"Strange,"_ she thought. _"It's like looking into a mirror one day and seeing a different image staring back at you."_

She shook her head. It was a lot like waking up one day and fining out that, oops, we were wrong, the world really is flat. It was an utterly unbelievable concept until one is presented with the irrefutable evidence. In her case, that evidence came in the form of one very much alive blond whom she loved.

Loved? Did she love him? Or was it the ghost of Suiko in love with the memory of Toshimu?

But as difficult as sorting out her feelings for Ron was, there was another idea that disturbed Kim even more. One that had shaken her entire belief system to its very core, to the point where she wasn't sure of almost anything anymore. And it was a question that she was going to have to answer, hopefully soon, so that she could get at least some peace of mind.

Where did Kim Possible end and Suiko begin?

Or even more frightening, was there even a Kim Possible? Had there even been one? Or was she just an illusion, the dream of another person, who once they woke up, the dream would disappear and all that would be left was the dreamer?

In the end, all she ended up doing was to give herself a fantastic headache. She tried to rub her temples in an effort to get rid of the Middleton High Marching Band that had taken up residence in her head but to no avail. It was then that Yori came and put a comforting arm around her shoulders and began guiding the redhead once again towards the room that had been set up for her. Kim gave the Asian girl a grateful smile, which was returned, before she was content to focus on getting rid of her headache and giving Yori control.

It had gotten quite late in the day when Kim entered one of the red and green topped pagodas that formed the boundaries of the central courtyard. A few twists and turns later and the redhead found herself in front of a sliding paper door that led to a simple room that contained only a thin pad to serve as a mattress and a blue cotton blanket. Kim took one look at the makeshift bed and instantly curled up on it. She was so tired that she had fallen asleep before she even had the chance to pull the blanket over.

Yori stood at the doorway for a few minutes to ensure that Kim was comfortable before she entered her guest's room and spread the blue material over her. The redhead, who was now oblivious to the world, unconsciously snuggled into the comforter and returned to her peaceful, dreamless sleep. The only remaining occupant of the room who was awake then quietly made her way to the doorway where she silently closed it, leaving Kim to her rest.

_Tuesday_

It was a gentle scraping sound that caught her attention. Her eyes were closed but the soft sound had awakened her. The less rational part of her mind told her that she couldn't have been asleep for more than five minutes as her body was still suffering from the effects of the exhaustion form the day before but she knew that it had been much longer than that. Although whether it had been two hours or twenty, she was unsure.

Her peaceful sleep had cleared away the pounding in her head but she was still reluctant to get up. It seemed, however, that her body was giving her little choice in the matter. Her back suddenly made its presence known as it protested having to spend the night on a thin mat over a hard floor. This was followed by her stomach notifying her that it was not happy with being empty as a large gurgle erupted from her abdomen. This made her smile. It was something that Ron was supposed to do, not her, and the combination of embarrassment over the noise and the thought of Ron only served to increase her grin.

Ron. Suddenly the events of yesterday came crashing back to her and Kim snapped her eyes open, sitting up with a speed that caused a light-headed sensation to overcome her. The redhead quickly put a hand to her forehead, as much to steady herself as to help ward off a return of her monster headache from the day before. Her initial enthusiasm gave way to pragmatic reality as she surveyed her room, hoping to find something or someone who could tell her about Ron's condition.

Kim found nothing and, despite the fact that she really didn't expect to find anything, she gave off a disappointed sigh as she slouched her shoulders and leaned her head back. Her quick survey of her modest surroundings did bring two things to her attention, however. First, someone had brought her bag to her and second, breakfast had been provided. It was a simple meal of a bowl of rice and some tea, but to the ravenous Kim it looked like a feast. Ignoring her disheveled look, the former cheerleader threw back her blanket and dove into her food, dimly realizing that the scraping sound that had awoken her was someone closing the door to her room after bringing her her meal.

It took her but a few scant moments to devour the entire contents of the rice bowl and, having appeased her stomach for the time being, she turned to some hygienic matters. The possibility of a shower seemed remote but at least she had her toiletry kit that she had packed with her. Ten minutes later, a more presentable Kim who, no matter what she did still felt a little grimy without a shower, was doing her best to bring her long ginger locks under control when a quiet knock came from her door.

The redhead silently rose, still running her brush through her hair, and slid the thin paper door back to reveal almost the last person she was expecting. Her features broke out into a confused grin as she took a step back to give the new arrival a quizzical look.

"Hirotaka? What are you doing here?"

The handsome Asian man allowed one of his enigmatic smiles to cross his face. The past few years had been good to the former exchange student. He still had the same hair style and the same quiet demeanor about him, but he had grown several inches since Kim had last seen him and was clearly a little bit broader in the shoulders. In another time and place, the teen realized that her crush on him would have come rushing back to her in a heartbeat.

But Kim's emotions were in enough turmoil without adding the complications of a romantic involvement. Pushing all thoughts about Hiro and his noticeable physique out of her mind, she watched as he bowed to her deeply, all the while with what Kim thought was a slight trace of reverence in his eyes. And when he spoke, it was with the tone of someone who was talking to an elder not a peer.

"Kimberly, it is good to see you again. I trust you are well after a good night's rest?"

The redhead nodded, still a little surprised at seeing him here of all places. _"Then again, I did meet him when Ron came here so it stands to reason that he would be a student at Yamanuchi,"_ she thought. _"And besides, after all that's gone on since I met Yori, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Shego was now the new high priestess of Ti Shing Peck Quar!"_

Hirotaka seemed pleased but also a little relieved that she was feeling like her old self again. Unbeknownst to Kim, when he had spent his week in Middleton, he had become quite smitten with the redheaded beauty. The fact that he had chosen to spend his time involved in a tryst with Bonnie had little to do with the other cheerleader's charm or beauty. Rather, he had decided not to begin an affair with Kim simply because he knew that he could not devote the time that he wanted to to such a relationship in the short time that he had. So, he decided to make the most of his time in America and sample some of the easier, yet no less delicious, local cuisine.

When he had returned to Japan, he made sure to keep tabs on the fiery redhead from across the ocean. It turned out to be easier than he thought because the reincarnation of Toshimu just happened to be her best friend. Thus, under the guise of checking in on Ron-san, he could also see what Kim was up to. Unfortunately, when the truth was discovered about the heroine that had captured his heart, he was quite depressed, knowing that she could never be his. But, the heart is a fickle thing, and it chooses who it wants without regards to its owner and Hiro still harbored a secret desire for Kim.

Yet, regardless of his fancies, he was a student of Yamanuchi and he had a duty to perform, one that he was honored to be chosen to do. His sense of purpose restored, he gestured out of Kim's room and towards the hallway. "Master Sensei wishes to see you this morning, Kim-dono. I am to escort you to him. Please, follow me."

The Asian student waited while the redhead turned to drop the brush that she had been using back into her bag and then stepped out of her room ahead of him. Hiro allowed himself a quick smile before it returned to nothingness, his face once more 'Mona Lisa-esque' as he stepped in front of his charge and began walking down the hallway.

It did not take him long to lead the two of them out of the pagoda and back into the central courtyard of the school. Kim was forced to squint in the morning light, as the sunlight that was cascading over the peaks of Mount Yamanuchi was particularly bright that morning. The heroine tried to figure out what time it was exactly as she silently followed her latest guide, but gave up in her attempt as the combination of jet lag, lack of sleep, and recent events had caused her internal clock to become completely useless.

Soon she found that Hirotaka was leading her towards the end of the rectangular courtyard that was farthest from the entrance to the school. There, almost directly across from where she had first entered, stood the largest of all the structures of Yamanuchi. It was done in the same style as the rest of the school, but it was clearly more ornate. Whereas the other pagodas had simple wooden carvings, this one had golden accents. The other pagodas were made entirely of stone, whereas this one made use of three different types of marble and jade. And none of the other structures had two armed students standing outside of them acting as sentries.

The whole effect of the extra touches was enough to put Kim off a little and she hesitated, even as Hiro calmly walked past the guards. He climbed two of the steps leading into the building before he noticed that he was alone and turned back, giving Kim a confused look. "Be not afraid, Kim-dono. They are here as much for your protection as the protection of what is inside."

The redhead gave a nervous glance at the stoic warrior on her right then moved her gaze to the one of her left. Still uncertain of what was going on, she took a deep breath and, reminding herself that no one at Yamanuchi had so far done anything to hurt her, she continued after Hirotaka. She didn't get very far, however, for as she passed by the two warriors, they turned and bowed deeply to her. Their motions where quick, yet reverent, and when they were done they returned to their original positions.

For her part, Kim was unsure of just what had happened. She had gotten somewhat used to the fame that came with the job, but somehow the actions of these two sentries were different. Her brow furrowed as she contemplated just what it was that was troubling her about their show of esteem as she began walking past them again. When she had caught up with her guide, he noticed her look and correctly guessed at what she was thinking about.

"Word has traveled fast, Kimberly. Every student at Yamanuchi knows that you are the next reincarnation of our founder's love, Suiko. That is why they show you such great respect."

As Hiro's insight into what was going on sank in, a realization began to dawn on Kim. The part of her that was Suiko was greatly loved and admired by those who choose to study Ti Shing Peck Quar here. And it was more than admiration for what she might have done in a previous life. It was almost as if she were approaching the status of a national hero, someone who had risked life and limb to save everything they held dear. Which, Kim slowly realized, Suiko had.

Her thoughts had carried her into the entrance of the pagoda where she noticed that it wasn't just the adornments that set this particular building apart. The first thing that caught her attention was that there was an open space in the middle of the pagoda that allowed the sunlight to come streaming in from the top of the building. Kim counted seven different stories altogether as walkways lined the walls at each level, giving access to the rooms of the structure.

But the one feature that was the most impressive was the shrine in the middle of the first floor. There was no other illumination in the pagoda except for the light coming in from the roof, thus casting the edges of the chamber into shadows while drawing attention to the center where there was a raised pedestal. The pedestal appeared to be made of solid jade upon which sat something made of wood.

Kim, who had been staring at the sight before her in silence for several minutes, began to move closer towards the dais as Hirotaka remained where he was, allowing the redhead a personal view of the shrine. As the heroine got closer to the pedestal, she noticed that the wooden structure was made of the same material as the case that held the Lotus Blade. Then it dawned on her; the object she was looking at was designed to hold a sword, presumably the very sword that had started her on the journey that she was now on.

The redhead then became aware of Hirotaka's presence next to her as he joined her on the dais. He stood to her left and just slightly behind her and out of the corner of her eye, Kim though that he looked like he was paying his respects to this shrine. It only took a moment, and when he was done, he explained to Kim where she was.

"This is the shrine of the Lotus Blade. It was the first building that was constructed for the school and when the weapon is not in use, it remains here. It is open to all students, and many, if not most, come at least once a day to be in its presence. Some even choose to meditate here, claiming that they feel more connected to Ti Shing mysticism when in its presence."

Kim nodded, taking in what she had been told. She took a step closer to the wooden holder and ran her hand across its smooth, polished surface. She knew that she had never been in this room before this moment and yet she couldn't deny the feeling that she had spent a considerable amount of time here. As she stood there, taking comfort in the feel of the wood and the sense of familiarity that the space engendered, a memory came floating to the surface of her mind. It was short and fragmented, but what she was able to remember was crystal clear.

"There is a student here by the name of Yoshi Hidonori," the heroine stated as much to herself as to Hirotaka. "He is about seventeen years old and everyday at around sunset, he comes here to meditate. He always sits in the northwest corner and stays for about an hour."

She spoke as if she was stating a fact instead of one who is asking a question. Her guide, who knew who she was and the role she played in the legend, was nonetheless caught off guard by her pronouncements. She was, of course, completely correct, and the Asian male was sure that she had gained such insight from her experience yesterday with the Lotus Blade. But it was one thing to know such a thing was possible in the abstract; it was quite another to actually see it happen before your very eyes.

After several minutes spent lost in thought, Kim turned around to look at her guide. She looked at him for a moment and, when she was sure she had his attention, asked him about something that was bothering her.

"It's not here. The Lotus Blade. You said that when it was not in use, it remained here. So, if it's not in its resting place, where is it?"

Hirotaka smiled slightly as he gestured towards a corner of the pagoda. "Come, I will show you," and he headed off in the direction that he indicated. Kim followed behind him closely and as they neared the darkened corner, she noticed that there was a flight of stairs that led up into the building. Her guide led her up to the very top of the pagoda and down the walkway of the seventh story until they came to the only door on that level.

Hiro entered first and was followed by Kim, who immediately had to adjust her eyes to her new darkened surroundings. The entire room was small, maybe no more than twelve feet square, and was illuminated only by the multiple candles that were lit around the edge of the space. There were no windows to allow any light in, and the walls and floor were completely bare of any decoration. And standing in front of her, blocking her from seeing farther into the room was Yori and the Master of Yamanuchi.

Hirotaka bowed to his master and turned, leaving the three alone in the Spartan room. The elder waited until he was sure his other student had departed before he addressed the redhead in front of him.

"Come, Kimberly, we have much to discuss."

As he began talking, he stepped to the side so that he allowed Kim a view of the entire room. There, in the center of the chamber, were three stone tables, lined up side by side, that were very similar to the one that she had seen in the grotto yesterday. Two were large enough to accommodate a person lying down on them while the one in the middle was smaller and positioned towards the end of the other tables.

But all of that barely registered on her as she focused all her attention on the blond figure that was lying atop one of the larger tables. She brushed past Yori and Master Sensei and was at his side in a heartbeat. With a trembling hand, she gently reached over and touched his cheek and felt a flood of relief wash over her at the warmth of his skin. She looked at his face, hoping to catch a glimpse of his chocolate eyes, but it appeared that he was asleep at the moment.

"Is he alright?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of his still form.

There was a pause as Yori walked over to stand next to her guest. The two women locked eyes for a brief moment before they both turned their gaze down towards the next heir of the Lotus Blade. "His body is fine, Kim-dono. It is strong and full of youth, and it will make a complete recovery." The Asian girl then sighed, bracing herself as she dropped the other shoe. "It is his mind that we are concerned about."

Kim, who had been more focused on her best friend than on what Yori was saying, felt her initial happiness at hearing that Ron was okay change to one of worry upon hearing the last part of what Yori had said.

"What exactly do you mean, you're concerned about his mind?"

"Kimberly, you must understand that he has suffered a tremendous psychological trauma. You forget that he was dead for two weeks, a non-corporeal spirit without form or substance, that was forced to wait in a state of limbo until he was either reincarnated or resurrected. And now that he has been resurrected, the realty of who he is came crashing down upon him. Remember how much you refused to believe your true position in the universe? Imagine if no one had told you but you had discovered it for yourself, with no one to tell you what was going on or to guide you through the process. That is what is happening to Ron-san."

As Yori talked, Kim reached down and grabbed Ron's hand, intertwining her fingers with his. A single tear formed in the corner of her eye as she was too emotionally tired to produce more of them. She gave his hand a small squeeze and felt her heart drop when he didn't return it. Resigned, she sighed and turned her full attention back to Yori.

"Is he in any pain?"

Yori shook her head. "No, we do not believe he is in pain. He is, however, very confused and is lost within the confines of his own mind. He is struggling with his reality, with that which he knows to be true but is not sure that he wants to accept. He needs you help, Kim-dono."

Kim, eager to do whatever she could to help her blond friend, jumped at the chance to do something. "I'll do whatever you need me do to. All you have to do is name it."

Yori took a deep breath. "Right now, Ronald is trapped in his own mind. He cannot find his own way out and back to us, so we must go in and help him find his way. The only person who can do that is you, Kimberly."

"How?"

"We will place you in a trance. Once you are in a deep meditative state, you will touch the Lotus Blade, as will Stoppable-san. This will create a connection between the two of you and your consciousness will be able to move into Ron-san's mind. It will be your job to guide him back from whatever corner of his mind that he has lost himself in."

The redhead turned to look at Ron's face for another moment before she gave his hand a determined squeeze and let it go, placing it back on the table next to his side. Gone was the concerned, slightly scared expression that she had worn and in its place there was now one of resiliency and strength. Whatever she had to do to help her best friend, she would do it, come hell or high water. Finally, she turned to face Yori, her body language informing those around her that she was a woman on a mission and it was not a good idea to get in her way just then.

"Alright, then, let's get started."

The Asian girl gave Kim a genuine smile as she motioned to the other large table that was next to Ron. As she moved past Yori and Master Sensei, she noticed that in her haste to go to Ron's side she had failed to notice that the Lotus Blade was resting on the smaller table that was in between the larger two. The heroine lifted herself up onto the table and remained in a sitting position, with her legs dangling over the side.

While she was doing this, Yori moved to a corner of the room where a small table held a container of liquid and a glass. She poured an amount of the clear substance into the glass and brought it over to Kim. She handed it over to her and told her to drink the entire contents. Kim took the glass, gave Yori a skeptical look, and the downed the liquid in one gulp. She had been expecting some sort of vile taste and had been prepared to fight her gag reflex, but she was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that it tasted a little bit like strawberries.

Yori picked up on Kim's body language and guessed at what she was thinking. "Over the years, we have been able to improve upon the flavor of the elixir. Legend has it that the first batches were almost impossible to swallow," she informed her guest with a smirk.

The heroine tried to return the smile but found that she had become quite light headed, causing her to lie down on the table. She felt waves of drowsiness overcome her and suddenly all she could think about was going back to sleep. A small part of her mind, one that was less rational than the rest, began to worry that she was in danger and it took control just long enough to force Kim to give Yori a concerned look.

The other girl took a step closer to the redhead and leaned over her. "Do not worry, Kim-dono. The elixir that I have given you will place you in the deep meditative state that you need to achieve in order to reach Ron-san. I must caution you that no one is sure what you can expect once you are in his mind, but there is one person who might be able to help you. Once inside, it is very probable that you will be able to interact with the core portion of your soul, which will most likely present itself as a vision of Suiko. Since you have been through this before, I suggest you seek her out first before moving into Ron-san's mind."

Kim, who was growing more tired with each passing moment, took in everything that Yori was telling her but it took all her concentration. She was able to remain in the waking world for a few seconds longer before the blackness of unconsciousness overtook her and she slipped into her trance.

Once she was sure that the redhead was out, the Asian girl moved to the other side of Kim where the other table was standing. She silently reached out and grabbed Ron's left hand and brought it over to rest on the hilt of the Lotus Blade. As soon as his skin touched the cool metal of the weapon, his hand clamped down upon it with such strength that no man in the mortal world could have broken it and a faint blue aura surrounded his body.

She then turned to Kim and took her right hand, bringing it over towards the sacred sword of Yamanuchi. For a moment, she hesitated with Kim's hand hovering a few scant inches over its shining blue surface before she murmured a short, but heartfelt, prayer for Kim's' success and Ron's safe recovery. Then, she allowed the redhead's hand to decent onto the blade to begin her mission.

And as she watched Kim's hand grab part of the Lotus Blade and part of her friend's hand with the same grip that Ron had and the same blue aura settle over her, she leaned in and whispered in the redhead's ear, "Good luck, Kim-dono. May the gods guide you to him," knowing that the connection between the two had been made and the heroine was off to bring back her love.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, sorry this took so long to get out. Between a case of writer's block and a case of laziness, things took a little longer than anticipated. Hopefully, this longer than average chapter will make up for the delay.

And, for you fan's of this story, you can forget about it ended around five chapters. The original story has blossomed into something much larger, so I'm going to take it in another, hopefully better direction.

Preventer Squall, I have plans for the so-called Monkey Master in my story and he will play an integral role. See if you can guess what it is. Anyway, Chapter 6 beings Kimmie's journey into Ron's mind, where we find out what happens when you cross the mind of a naco-loving wrestling fan with that of a centuries old Japanese warrior.

Until next time, enjoy Chapter 5.


	6. Chapter 6: To Sleep, Perchance to Dream ...

White.

That's where Kim currently found herself, in an expanse of colorless void that stretched in every direction for as far as she could see. She had never before seen such purity, so uncorrupted as to rival the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. In a way, it was very peaceful, but it also created in her an uneasy feeling.

What was disconcerting for the heroine was the fact that there were no distinguishing features about her new environment. There was no ceiling that she could discern and the only way she knew there was a floor beneath her was the pressure and support that her feet were reporting. There wasn't even a horizon line marking where the sky met the earth, which led her to conclude that it might be possible that her view was unlimited, that she could pick a direction, walk forever and never get anywhere.

She wasn't even sure how she had gotten here, as the details were kind of fuzzy. Kim could remember being in the Temple of the Lotus Blade with Yori and Master Sensei. She remembered drinking the elixir that the Asian girl had given her and then suddenly she had gotten very tired. Finding it impossible to keep her eyes open, the redhead laid down and the next thing she knew, she was asleep. Her dreams were confusing and a little frightening, all of them centering on a vague feeling of falling, but without any concrete features to them. And just when she felt that she was going to hit the bottom of the rabbit hole, she opened her eyes to find herself where she was now.

The redhead estimated that that was about ten minutes ago, although it was nearly impossible to judge time in such a place that was devoid of all features. She gave off a mighty yell in each direction, which received no return nor returned an echo. This only served to reinforce her unease.

At first, she was unwilling to move for fear of losing her orientation but soon came to the conclusion that no matter what she did, there were no landmarks here and thus, as long as she stayed where she was, she would never know if she was moving or if she was staying still. So, she made the decision to talk a little stroll.

The heroine had been moving for a while in a direction that was due West of her original position. Of course, she was assuming that it was West, given that it was to the left of the way she was facing when she first got here. And she was assuming that she was still on the same course, for without any distinguishing features to the landscape, she had no way of making sure she was on a straight path. Eventually, she just stopped and began to stare at her hands, if for nothing else than to see a color other than white.

The redhead sat down and placed her head in her hands, trying to think of what her next move should be, when she heard a noise penetrate the deafening void. It reminded Kim of the sound of hard soled shoes on a wooden floor echoing down a long hallway. She looked up quickly and turned in the direction that the sound came from. Initially, the teen couldn't locate the source, as it was difficult for her to pinpoint it because it seemed that the noise was coming from everywhere at once.

Still, Kim kept moving her head 360 degrees until she eventually came across a black dot moving towards her. As she began to focus on the first distinct object in the void, other than herself, the heroine realized that it was the source of the sound. She decided that whatever it was that was coming towards her, maybe it could give her some answers as to what was going on so, she picked herself up and headed off in that direction at a moderate jog, closing the gap faster even as the approaching dot never changed its speed. In a few minutes, she was just about within viewing distance when Kim got her first glimpse of what she was running to and she gasped.

It was her. The woman that was approaching her was identical in every respect, from her height and body shape to her fiery red hair and deep emerald eyes. There were only two differences that Kim could discern. First, while she was wearing the yellow top with blue star and blue pants that she had put on this morning, her doppelganger was wearing her trademark green tank top and blue Capri's. And the other difference was that the new arrival seemed very much at ease in this environment while the real Kim was very confused.

"Hello, KP," the other Kim said with a smile when she was finally standing directly in front of our heroine. "I imagine that you have a few questions for me."

"Yeah, you could say that," the redhead replied, a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "First off, who are you, and second, no one calls me KP but Ron, even if you do look like me."

"I know," replied the twin. "But Ron is not the only person who calls you KP. Think for a minute. When you are all alone, when no one else is around, just you and your thoughts, how exactly do you refer to yourself in your mind? Is it Kim? Or perhaps Kimberly? No, what you call yourself is..."

"KP," Kim finished the thought. "I almost never think of myself in any other way. How do you know that? No one knows that, not even Ron."

"That's true. But then, if no one but you knows that fact, the only way I could know it is..."

"If you are me," she replied, dumbfounded. Kim mulled that over for a minute, trying desperately to wrap her mind around such a concept, and found that she was having a great deal of difficulty doing so. She brought her gaze back from its far off focus to the other Kim in front of her and opened her mouth to ask a question. But the other Kim was a bit faster and cut her off.

"You are wondering how it is possible that I am you and you are me. Come on, KP, don't you remember? Anything is possible for a Possible?" the twin smirked, clearly enjoying the perplexed look on the true Kim's face. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Why don't we sit down and I can explain a few things to you."

The other Kim motioned to a spot behind the true Kim and when the heroine turned, a set of chairs had appeared behind her, exactly like the one that was in her living room back in Middleton. She started to turn back to her twin to ask how they had gotten there, but thought better of it and, with a resigned sigh, made her way over to the comfy brown recliners.

"First off, let me congratulate you in achieving the proper meditative state necessary to be here. Not many people in the history of mankind have ever been to where you are now," the look-alike started.

"But where is here? I've never even heard of anything like this before in my life, let alone seen it. Are we in Ron's mind?" the true Kim offered. _"Because that would explain why it's so empty,"_ she thought with a small smile.

Instantly, the other Kim's expression soured. "I would appreciate it if you didn't think things like that, Kimberly. You have a rather annoying and pathetic habit of disparaging your best friend, despite all he does for you and how you feel about him," she snapped.

"Huh? Wait, you can read my mind?" the true Kim asked with a small amount of dread at the answer and what it implied.

"I can't believe you haven't figured yet," the clone sighed. "No, KP, I cannot read your mind because I am your mind. Or, at least, part of it."

"You're a part of me? Which part?"

"What you have to understand is that people perceive themselves as being a single whole, one mind that is shaped by experience, when in fact it doesn't work that way. Each person has within them several different viewpoints, or voices, each of which influences how we think, act, and feel. These voices combine to form a single coherent message that we perceive as thought. People think that a single thought is like a note played on a piano when in reality it is more like a note played by an entire symphony orchestra."

"I think I understand. But, if that's the case, then which voice are you? And what part am I? Why is it that I can be here, in my mind, and yet I perceive only this part of me as myself?"

"Getting quite metaphysical, aren't we, KP?" the twin asked with a trace of amusement. "First, I'm not really a voice per se. I am your consciousness. Not you conscious, which is something else entirely, but rather I am that which houses all current information that the various voices can interact with. Right now, you are in a dreamless state, so my area of our mind is this blank white space that you see before you. If you were awake, this space would instead be filled with your surroundings, your thoughts, maybe a memory that is relevant. Plus, it's my job to carry out any decisions that you make. I move the arms. I speak the words. I translate your orders into interaction with the outside world."

"Oookay," Kim responded to all the information that she had just gotten. "I think I get it. But you still haven't answered my second question."

"Ah, yes, who you are," the twin smiled. "You are what the philosophers would call the spark of life. Without you, none of this exists. During this journey, you will meet many different parts of us but all are expendable but you. Think of it this way. Imagine, for a moment, that you weren't here and that it was just I trying to bring all the voices into one single message. How do you reconcile the mutually exclusive ideas? Your anger wants to hurt but you compassion wants to forgive. Your desire wants to indulge but your sense of civility tells you to hold back. In the end, it doesn't work. That's where you come in."

"You are the final arbiter of the different parts of us. If a dispute arises, you make the decision. Think of yourself as the CEO of a large company. You have various directors giving you all sorts of advice on what to do in any number of situations, but ultimately the choice comes down to you. You are the ruler of the land, and it is my job to carry out your orders."

It was, all in all, a very disconcerting sitch that she now found herself in. Kim just sat there, her mouth slight agape, and tried to process everything that she had been told. The other Kim continued to watch her, seemingly at ease with everything that had been going on, and had the look of a woman with infinite patience.

After a while, the real Kim decided that there was just no way that she was going to make sense of all of it and took what she was being told at face value. Having made that choice, it was now time to get down to business.

"Alright, I've decided to believe you," she started as the other Kim got a knowing look on her face, "but you already knew that, didn't you? Now that I know who you are, I need your help in finding Ron."

"I am here to serve," the other Kim informed the redhead, "but, like Yori said, you're going to need some help. I think it's about time I introduce you to someone special."

"Suiko?" the heroine asked and got a nod in return. "How does she fit into all of this?"

"Well, Suiko is the core portion of your soul. Unlike most people, who only have one manifestation of their soul, you have forty. You see, there is no such thing as reincarnation. Each person gets one shot at life and then they move on to, well, lets just say another adventure and once you move on there's no coming back. However, like most rules in life, there are always exceptions to those rules, like you and Ron. You're not the first, and certainly not the last, but there aren't many like you."

"How many are there? Or were there?"

"No one knows for sure exactly. Suffice it to say, all of you could fit into a classroom at Middleton High, so its rare company."

"Wait, I don't understand. Didn't you say that reincarnation doesn't exist? If that's the case, how do you explain me and Ron?"

"Ah, I said that once someone passes to the next adventure, they can't come back but you've never actually moved on. When you die, your soul will either wait in an in between place between this life and the next until Ron dies and the two of you start the process all over again, or, if Ron is already dead, then you start over immediately."

The real Kim heard what her twin had told her and she had many questions, but all the talk about her soul had raised a deep seeded doubt that had been nagging her since yesterday. Of course, the other Kim instantly knew what it was that was bothering the teen and tried to bring up the subject, figuring it was better if she got it off her chest than to keep it bottled up.

"You are wondering how it is that there can be a Kim Possible and a Suiko at the same time. Well, the simple answer is that you are both. You see, when most people are born, they're a blank slate. They can mold and form their lives into what form they choose, from the person who does charity work all her life to a career criminal. You, however, started off already having certain decisions made for you. For example, since the moment you were born, you were going to be a strong, independent woman who felt an undeniable desire to help others. Thus, when you were standing outside the Paisley Estate where your first mission took place, you choose to go it alone, without calling in the police and backup."

"It was also no accident that you and Ron became friends. Think about it for a moment; in any other time or place, would the two of you still be as close as you are now? Ron, the goofy, geeky, unpopular slacker and Kim, the cheerleader, heroine, and top of the social ladder. You should be making fun of a guy like that, or at least wanting nothing to do with him. But, instead, you choose to create a life centered around him, doing everything with him, sharing everything about you with him. You felt more loss and despair in the two weeks that he was gone than fifty other people would in your place. No, your life is no accident. You travel the path of your life in your own way, but the path itself was chosen long before you were born."

By now, the real Kim had a massive headache, although a part of her silently wondered just how her head could hurt if her head was just a part of her mind. If what she had just been told was supposed to comfort her in some way, it had failed. The redhead was now more convinced that she was just an illusion; once she died, Suiko would take over and she'd be gone forever. Her clone looked on, a mixture of sympathy and understanding crossing her features, as she leaned back in her chair, giving her boss some time to get a grip on everything.

For the next fifteen minutes, the real Kim struggled with what was the toughest realization of her life. Everything her doppelganger had told her was running through her head, from the insider's point of view into her mind to the predetermined role that her life was going to play. There was a large part of her that was not happy with the thought that her life was not her own to live. She was forced to be a heroine? She was forced to save the world? Had she even been forced to be Ron's friend?

Ron. The redhead suddenly remembered that she wasn't here on vacation, that she was here to save her friend. She blinked, coming out of her stupor, and looked across at her guide. The other Kim, who immediately knew what she had decided, had all ready stood up and walked over to the heroine, offering her a hand in getting up and out of her chair.

"I'm glad to see you're ready to get back to work. I know you're confused, but there will be plenty of time for that later. Just remember, no matter what you see in this journey, you can trust me."

"Okay," the real Kim nodded. "Where do we go from here?"

"This way," the twin replied, snapping her fingers. Instantly, the two chairs disappeared and a staircase appeared out of the void. It reminded Kim of the one leading up to her loft bedroom back at her parent's house, only this one was leading down instead of up. Kim went over and stood at the head of the stairwell and peered down into the next level, but was greeted with nothing but an inky abyss.

"What's down there?"

"Remember when I told you that each person has different voices within them? That's were they're kept," the twin told her as she walked over to stand next to the heroine. She gave the real Kim a knowing smile, patted her back in a friendly manner, and then took off down the stairs. The heroine hesitated for a moment, getting an ominous feeling from what she would find at the bottom of this staircase, but realized that the only way to save Ron was to swallow her fear and get moving.

As the redhead descended down, something interesting happened when her head dipped below the level of the floor above. The darkened way down into her mind was suddenly lit by several wall sconces that provided enough illumination so that she could easily see where she was going and as she turned back to look at where she had come from, she noticed that it appeared as if the stairs simply ended nowhere. The heroine then reached up with her hand to above the top of the last stair and it disappeared. As she pulled it back and it rematerialized, she came to the realization that there was some sort of barrier that prevented her from seeing back up and into her consciousness.

It was interesting, but ultimately irrelevant, so the true redhead turned and headed off back down the stairs. It quickly became apparent that this staircase, while it may have looked like the one in her home, was a lot longer. She had been descending down it for about five minutes and was beginning to wonder if it would ever end when Kim was able to see a linoleum tiled floor coming up to meet her. The heroine now picked up the pace and in no time reached the bottom where she was greeted to a view that she hadn't seen in quite some months. It was the main hallway at Middleton High School.

The hallway was exactly as she remembered it. The view that she was afforded was that of someone who had just stepped through the main doors and was looking into the school. The aging, beat-up lockers lined the walls, there were notices for this club or that taped up everywhere, and even the horrid color of the floor was a spot on match. The only thing different about this version was that there was no one here except her and her guide and the front doors had been replaced by the staircase.

"An interesting choice," the other Kim said from her vantage point of leaning up against one of the lockers.

"What do you mean, 'an interesting choice'?"

"Well, we, that is the voices, don't really perceive our world in physical terms like you do. So, in order for you to interact with us, a physical representation of out world has to be created. You choose to use Middleton High, and I just thought it was interesting."

"I see," Kim replied not really seeing at all. "Okay, what now?"

"Now we go through the 'school' and deeper into our mind where Suiko is. Normally, I'd offer you the opportunity to meet some of your voices but since we're on a mission, I'd suggest we just move on without delay. But, before we begin, a warning. In each classroom there holds a single voice and as you pass by, the names of the various voices will be on each door. Some are very common, like compassion or anger. Others might disturb you just by their very existence. Paid them no heed and just keep going."

"Wait, I don't understand. Why would anything I see here disturb me?"

The clone took a deep breath and let off a long sigh. "Don't worry. You'll find out when we get there." And with that, she turned and headed off into the school.

Kim blinked at the sight of her twin's receding back, and with a shrug, headed off after her. As she came to the first classroom, she saw what her guide was talking about. Attached to the wooden door, just below the reinforced glass window, was a brass plaque that read 'Duty'. _"Now why would something like that disturb me?" _she thought.

"That's because you haven't seen anything yet," her twin called out from the far end of the hallway. "Now, lets get a move on!"

The true Kim nodded and started once again, this time with a little more spring in her step, but she always glanced at each plaque as she passed by the various doors. At first, they were all quite ordinary, humor, joy, sadness, frustration. But the closer she got to the end of the hallway, the names on the doors got a little darker. Fear. Anger. Jealousy. These were the kinds of emotions that Kim tried to ignore all her life, and she was a little uneasy around them. Eventually, she was standing in front of her clone at the crux of a T-intersection. The other Kim motioned down the hallway to their left and they continued their journey.

But the names on the plaques continued to get more and more towards the wrong end of the spectrum. And the further down the hallway they went, the more and more it looked as if the janitor hadn't spent a single moment here in quite some time. Finally, Kim asked her guide about it.

"The reason that this area looks neglected is because it has been neglected. The voices in this area are, in general, ignored on a constant basis by you and, as such, it is reflected in the poor condition that this area is in. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing," she finished cryptically.

Kim didn't know what to make of that, but she knew that the sooner she was away from this place, the better. She kept glancing at each of the various plaques until she finally came upon one that was so filthy that she couldn't read it. Her unease being overcome by her curiosity, she cautiously made her way over to the door and began to rub away the dirt covering the plaque.

During this time, the other Kim had stopped her progress and moved to stand behind the true Kim with a worried look coming to rest on her face. It took a moment, but the grime eventually came off and Kim was able to read what the plaque said. Instantly, a look of horror and disgust, disbelief and unease crossed her features as she reread the sign just to make sure she had gotten it right.

"Yes, Kim, it says Sadism. I wish you hadn't stopped, like I asked you to, but what's done is done. Now, lets go," her doppelganger pleaded, placing a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"I don't believe it," the real Kim shook her head. "I don't have thoughts like this. There isn't a part of me that wishes to inflict that kind of harm on someone, or that takes pleasure in it. No way."

"Believe it," the guide sighed. "Look, Kim, everyone has these voices. You can't get rid of it, you can only choose to ignore it, like you have done. Now, I'm begging you, please let it go and lets get going."

Her twin, in the hope that if she just turned and started off back down the hallway her charge would follow, did exactly that. She took a few confident strides away from the door, the sound of her shoes reverberating down the empty corridor, mentally wishing, begging, pleading with the real Kim to leave a sleeping dog lie and get a move on. But that was not to be.

The real Kim had stayed exactly where she was, kneeling in front of the dirt-encrusted door. She knew, deep in her heart, that there were baser emotions insider her. Her interactions with Bonnie provided all the proof she needed of that, from the anger that threatened to boil over just about every time the brunette opened her mouth to the jealousy that Kim felt when Bobby Johnson decided to ask her rival out. But sadistic behavior? That was simply beyond belief.

Yet, here she stood in front of a door that bore that very emotion. And it was beginning to eat at her.

"I'm sorry. I'm have to prove to myself that I don't think like this. I'm going to open this door and there's going to be nothing behind it," the heroine retorted with just a little bit a desperation creeping into her voice. _"I hope,"_ she silently added.

"Kim, wait, don't do that!" the other Kim shouted but it was too late. The real Kim had all ready reached out and turned the handle, pushing in the now freely swinging door. Well, it wasn't an empty classroom that greeted the heroine beyond the threshold of the classroom. In fact, it looked similar to one of Draken's labs, except that most of the equipment had been removed and replaced by nothing more than a simple metal table in the middle. Most of the sides of the lab were concealed in darkness, the table being the only thing illuminated by a powerful light from above that she couldn't see. Kim took a step in to get a better look, her curiosity once again getting the better of her, and she could see that there was a person strapped down on the table. It was Shego.

But this Shego was nothing more than a shell of the villainess that she knew. It was painfully obvious that the brunette had been tortured. She had been beaten and broken, cuts and bruises covered a good portion of her face, and she looked like she could die of fright from the very sight of Kim. Her usually impeccable green and black jumpsuit had been torn and ripped, exposing her green skin that had now taken on the colors of black and blue.

As the real Kim took several steps towards the bound woman, she could hear the woman moaning slightly and was able to make out was a set of electrodes that were attached to the evil vixen's head, the wires leading off into the darkness beyond. It only took a moment and the teen was in the circle of light, giving the bound villain a view of her latest guest. It was then that Shego first began to panic.

"Please, I'm begging you, let me go. I swear I'll never hurt another person as long as I live. How many times can I say I'm sorry Kimmie? I never meant for anyone to get hurt, you've got to believe me! Please," the woman begged. All sense of dignity had been stripped from her and she was now nothing more that a blubbering mass of quivering nerves. The sight alone caused a swell of pity rise up within Kim, for the way that her nemesis was pleading for what she could only assume was her life almost broke her heart.

_"She may be evil, but no one deserves this,"_ the redhead thought. Spurred into action, she moved ever deeper into the room intending to help free the helpless villainess. When she had finally crossed the distance between them, she reached out to remove the clamp that was holding down Shego's right hand when she asked, "Who did this to you?"

"I did," came an all too familiar voice from the darkness. Suddenly, all the lights in the lab came on, bathing a rather empty space in the harsh light of fluorescent lamps. It wasn't completely empty, however; the wires that were trailing from the green and black woman lead to a device that ran along one walls of the lab. It was four feet of dull gray metal with only two features, a dial and a large, rather clichŽ red button. The real Kim had never seen such a device but she surmised it was capable of delivering large amounts of electricity to the person on the other end.

But the horror that she felt knowing what the device did was nothing compared to what she felt upon seeing what was next to the device. There, sitting in a rather comfortable looking black leather chair, was another Kim. But, unlike her guide, or her for the matter, this Kim had some rather striking differences. First, her hair was a few shades darker than her normal orangeish hue and it looked wild, like she had just gotten out of bed. Then there was what she was wearing, dressed from head to toe in all black, with a rather tight top, black leather pants, and a set of four inch heals, which was rather tall for the redhead. But the most disturbing feature was her eyes; the emerald globes had taken on a crazed look to them, mixed with what Kim thought was pleasure? _"I guess if I ever go completely insane, this is probably what I'll end up looking like," _she thought bitterly.

"Now, now, there's no need to be rude, calling me insane," the Sadistic Kim chided her guest as she rose from her seat. "Welcome to my humble abode, KP. Do you like what I've done with the place?"

Normally, the real Kim would have had some quick retort but the total effect of what she saw before her had left the teen heroine speechless. Noting the lack of response, the Sadistic Kim sauntered over to just in front of the real version, taking her time and moving with the gracefulness of a cat, closing the gap between them to just a few inches. If Kim didn't know better, she would have sworn that her counterpart was trying to seduce her.

"Who are you?" the real Kim stammered out, swallowing the lump in her throat and asking a question to which she all ready knew the answer.

"Ah, who am I, who am I..." Sadistic Kim teased as she strolled around the real Kim. She trailed one of her slender fingers along the neck of her prey, reveling in the absolute hedonism of the act. When she had disappeared from the real Kim's peripheral vision, she lingered behind the heroine, way too close for comfort, the heat from her body easily felt by the teen. As the seconds passed and the heroine's level of discomfort grew to the point where she was going to move herself, her clone leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"I am that part of you that doesn't want to let up when you've beaten the villain. I am the part of you that doesn't want to play by the rules. I am the part of you that you've wanted to be ever since we saw our love fall in that power plant. I'm the girl you want to be but deny yourself because you fear the pleasure in what I do."

"What you do?" the real Kim spat, finally throwing off the trance that she was in and moving away from the girl who may have looked like her but shared nothing else with the heroine. "What you do is sick and wrong!"

"Sick and wrong?" her sadistic counterpart asked in a sweet voice that hid its venom well. "Now, that's Ron's line, isn't it? I wonder what he would say about what we're doing here? I think he'd approve. Besides, there's nothing 'sick and wrong' about revenge, KP."

"Revenge?"

"Why, yes, revenge. You didn't think we were here for our health, now, did you?" she flashed the true Kim a sugary sweet smile. Her sadistic version then turned on her heal, and moved quickly over to where Shego was bound, hopping up onto a space on the table by the brunette's mid-section. She locked eyes with the real Kim for just a moment, to ensure that she had her attention, and then looked down at her captured prey. The villainess was trembling at the closeness of her torturer, and looked like she wanted to crawl out of her skin when Sadistic Kim began to gently stroke her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Please, Kimmie, I'm sorry. You have to believe me," Shego whined, once more pleading for the pain to stop.

_Smack!_ The Sadistic Kim brought forth a look of pure hatred and unbridled malevolence as she brought her right hand back and hit the side of Shego's face, putting enough force behind it to easily break the older woman's nose. Shego began to whimper at the attack until Sadistic Kim grabbed the other woman's head and leaned in. "Don't say another word or you will regret it," the sadistic version hissed, her voice dripping with enough cruel pleasure that the other two women in the room instantly knew that she meant it.

"Wha, what are you doing to her?" the true Kim stammered out, her fear of what her twin might do, or what she had all ready done, to Shego after seeing the brutality of her latest attack evident in her voice.

"Simple," Sadistic Kim replied, letting Shego's head drop roughly back to the table surface, her expression changing from one of hatred to contentment. "I'm here to make sure that Shego pays for what she did to us."

"What she did to us? She's never done anything close to warranting this kind of treatment. She has never hurt us like you are hurting her."

"Never hurt us, never hurt us?! She was responsible for taking away from us the most important thing in our life! Good God, KP, don't you remember? You should, you've dreamt about it almost every night since it happened."

"Ron? Are you talking about Ron? Look, no one is hurting more than I am, or I guess we are, over his death but that doesn't excuse what you are doing here."

"Aw, how noble. Fortunately, that particular voice is a few doors down. This bitch is going to pay. Every moment that we are in emotional pain, she's going to get ten times worse in physical pain." That's when she hopped off the table and strolled over to the device that was connected to the villainess, walking right past the real Kim who looked like she wanted to deck this version of her, but was afraid of the consequences.

When she had gotten there, she pushed the device away from the wall and walked around it so that it was between her and the two other women. The sadistic version of Kim then leaned on the device, allowing her right hand to drape over the edge. She took a moment to ensure that she had her guest's attention before she started to play with a large, red button that was on the device. Instantly, the captured villainess began to scream and struggle, the purpose of the button becoming painfully obvious to the real Kim as the sadistic one held down the button for just a moment and began laughing manically at the reaction from her prisoner.

"Stop! I won't let you do this, I'll fight you if..."

"KP!"

Both Kim's turned towards the source of the new voice. Her guide was standing in the doorway that she had initially come through, a mixture of concern and agitation showing on her features. The real Kim had completely forgotten about her and her mission, but now she had a second mission, to help Shego. She may hate the woman, but she wasn't going to leave her to this fate.

"No, Kim, leave her," the guide called out. "She is just a figment of your imagination. None of this is real, remember? Now, come on. Let's get out of here."

The real Kim took a minute weighing her options. On the one hand, it seemed so real. The fear in Shego's eyes, the sound that was made when Sadistic Kim's hand broke her nose, the evil way in which her counterpart was now laughing. But, she was currently in her own mind, and her guide had yet to steer her wrong yet. Conflicted between her sense of duty and her knowledge that it was probably a false image, she choose to take the advice of her guardian and left the room, to the insane ranting of the Sadistic Kim behind her.

"What just happened in there?" asked the real Kim. As soon as she had exited the room, it was if a fog had lifted off her mind and she was once again able to think clearly.

"That," her guide began with a gesture to the now closed door, "is exactly the kind of thing I warned you about. You have to realize that, no matter how many good deeds you do, no matter how many bad guys you put away or plots you foil, there will always, _always_, be a part of you that revels in such things. It is best to simply be aware of it and the ignore it as best you can."

The real Kim, however, was having a much tougher time coming to grips with such a concept. A rather bitter taste filled her mouth as her legs suddenly became weak. The redhead took a step back and leaned into one of the lockers lining the walls, slowly sinking to the ground as a wave of nausea overcame her. She dully heard her twin asking if she was okay but paid little attention to it as she focused on the sickly feeling in her stomach.

After a few minutes, during which the heroine fought off dry heaves with some deep breathing, her guide walked over and offered the real Kim some help in getting up. She gratefully took the outstretched hand and pulled herself up off the floor of the hallway. The redhead still felt a little disoriented, and needed to place a steadying hand on her companion, but when her twin gave her an 'are-you-okay' look, she silently nodded.

"Alright, then, shall we?" the other Kim asked as she gestured down the hallway towards the way that they were headed before their slight detour.

"Yeah, lets go," the true Kim replied, slightly dejectedly as recent events had disquieted her.

Still, both women took off back down the hallway towards their destination. There were a few more twists and turns as they delved deeper into the school, and as the minutes passed, the real Kim realized that the school that she was in may resemble Middleton High, but the layout was definitely wrong. Her suspicions were confirmed when they turned the final corner and she was confronted with another staircase, this one identical to the one she had come down to get into the school in the first place.

"Um, Middleton High doesn't have a basement," she pointed out to her guide.

"I know. But I also know that you know that this isn't Middleton High. Remember, it's just a physical representation of some decidedly non-physical things."

"So, what's downstairs?"

"Your next guide. I'm afraid that this is as far as I can go. Don't worry, she knows a lot more than I do and can help you save Ron. And remember, no matter what you may see, you are here for a purpose. Go save him and bring him back to us," and for the first time since they had met, the confidence that her guide had always shown left her to be replaced by an almost desperate pleading in her eyes. Kim should know; she had seen it many times herself in the mirror.

"Don't worry. We're Kim Possible and we can do anything," she laughed at the twist on her motto. Her guide shared in the moment of levity and they hugged, slightly saddened with the knowledge that they would never meet like this again. When the moment had passed, the two women locked eyes once more and then the true Kim turned and headed off down the stairs.

This staircase was much shorter than the one she had initially traveled down but was done in the same style. It was less than a minute before Kim found herself stepping off the last of the stairs and into a replica of the living room in her home back in Middleton. It was exactly as she remembered it, but without the constant sound of tweebs running throughout or her mother making dinner in the kitchen. Or Ron watching TV in the living room. In fact, the eerie quiet of the house gave it am almost unsettling quality to the space. The silence had led her to conclude that the house was empty, which is why she almost jumped when she entered the living room and discovered it occupied.

There, sitting on the couch in front of the television set, was a young Japanese girl. She was about Kim's age with jet black hair styled in the same manner as Yori's and dressed in a simple white gi. But the most striking feature of the other girl was her eyes; they were the exact shade of green as Kim's and shined with an inner light that belied a fierce determination and a deep understanding. The total effect made Kim a little uneasy, but when the Japanese girl stood and gave Kim a simple smile, it broke the ice and the redhead began to relax.

"Who are you?" the heroine asked.

In response, the Asian girl walked over to just in front of the redhead and, placing her hands together, she bowed deeply. When she was finished, she smiled even wider and began to explain Kim what was going on.

"Hello, Kim-dono. You are here seeking guidance in helping Stoppable-san break free from the sleep that he now finds himself in. I am here to provide such guidance. I am Suiko."

* * *

Author's Notes: Very sorry for the delay but my writing slows down in the summer. Anyway, I hope this chapter didn't put anyone off, I know that this is a bit of a departure but since the story was supposed to have already ended, it's kinda going off in its own direction and I'm along for the ride. And, sorry, but you're going to have to wait at least one more, maybe two, before getting a glimpse of Ron's mind.

Now its off to work on Fox and Sloth. Until then, enjoy Chapter 6!


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